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Definition: mutation from Dictionary of Virology

A change in the genotype of an organism not resulting from recombination. In its simplest form it is the substitution of one nucleotide for another leading to changes in the structure of the protein coded for by a nucleotide sequence or modifying gene regulation sequences.

mutation

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in biology, a sudden, random change in a gene , or unit of hereditary material, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any change in the delicate balance of an organism having a high level of adaptation to its environment tends to be disruptive. As the environment changes, however, mutations can prove advantageous and thus contribute to evolutionary change in the species. In higher animals and many higher plants a mutation may be transmitted to future generations only if it occurs in germ, or sex cell, tissue; somatic, or body cell, mutations cannot be inherited except in plants that propagate asexually (see reproduction ). Sometimes the word mutation is used broadly to include variations resulting from aberrations of chromosomes ; in chromosomal mutations the number of chromosomes may be altered, or segments of chromosomes may be lost or rearranged. Changes within single genes, called point mutations, are actual chemical changes to the…
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Full text Article mutation

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Sudden permanent change in an inherited characteristic of an organism. This change occurs in the DNA of the genes . Natural mutations during reproduction are rare, occur randomly, and usually produce an organism unable to survive in its environment. Occasionally, the change results in an organism…
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Full text Article mutation

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in biology, a sudden, random change in a gene , or unit of hereditary material, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any change in the delicate balance of an organism having a high level of adaptation to its environment tends to be disruptive. As the…
| 588 words
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Full text Article Mutation

From The Princeton Guide to Evolution
Mutation
Evolution depends on genetic differences among individuals, and ultimately all genetic variation has its origins in mutation. There are many ways in which DNA can change in a heritable fashion—from changes in single nucleotides, to rearrangements, to wholesale insertion or deletion of new sequences…
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Full text Article mutations

From Encyclopedia of Evolution
Mutations are alterations in DNA. They create new genetic variation that allows evolutionary innovation. Not all mutations are equally likely to occur. Of the four bases that make up DNA, two of them are large purines (adenine and guanine) and two of them are small pyrimidines (cytosine and…
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Full text Article Mutation

From Brenner's Encyclopedia of Genetics
Three different substitutions are...
Abstract Mutations are changes in the genome sequence of an organism. Mutations are the driving force of evolution. Under selection, mutations resulting in adaptive traits are favored, while those resulting in maladaptive traits are selected against. Mutations can be spontaneous, occurring through…
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Full text Article mutation

From Collins Dictionary of Medicine
Any persisting change in the genetic material ( DNA ) of a cell. Mutations most commonly involve a single gene but may affect a major part, or even the whole of, a chromosome or may change the number of chromosomes (genomic mutation). A nonsense mutation is one that alters the sequence of bases in a…
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Full text Article mutation

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In biology, a change in the genes produced by a change in the DNA that makes up the hereditary material of all living organisms. It can be a change in a single gene or a change that affects sections of chromosomes . In the process of DNA replication, which takes place before any cell divides, the…
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Full text Article Mutation

From 50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know
Mutation
Variety is not just the spice of life, it is nature's main ingredient. The source of that variety is genetic mutation and, whether harmful or beneficial, DNA changes generate the majority of the variation that passes through the evolutionary sieve of natural selection. The process of evolution…
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Full text Article mutation

From Penguin Dictionary of Biology
Alteration in the arrangement, or amount, of genetic material of a cell or virus. They may be classified as either point mutations , involving minor changes in the genetic material (often single base-pair substitutions), or macromutations (e.g. deletions), involving larger sections of chromosome. …
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Full text Article mutation

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Alteration in the genetic material of a cell that is transmitted to the cell’s offspring. Mutations may be spontaneous or induced by outside factors ( mutagens ). They take place in the genes , occurring when one base is substituted for another in the sequence of bases that determines the genetic…
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