MUTATION

Mutation

In genetics, a mutation is a change of the nucleotide sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal genetic element. Mutations result from unrepaired damage to DNA or to RNA genomes, errors in the process of replication, or from the insertion or deletion of segments of DNA by mobile genetic elements. Mutations may or may not produce discernible changes in the observable characteristics of an organism. Mutations play a part in both normal and abnormal biological processes including: evolution, cancer, and the development of the immune system.

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mutation

Noun

  1. Any alteration or change.
  2. Any heritable change of the base-pair sequence of genetic material.
  3. A mutant.
  4. An alteration a particular sound of a word, especially the initial consonant, which is triggered by the word's morphological or syntactic context and not by its phonological context.
  5. A for a collection of thrushes.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: mutation
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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