Producing or promoting a favorable result; advantageous
Beneficial
Hair Color
Eye Color
How do we know if a particular mutation is neutral?
There is no observable effect on the health of an organism/population of organisms
Biomolecules made up of amino acids and found in all living cells that perform bodily functions
Proteins
A single, highly organized and structured piece of DNA
Chromosome
Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which red blood cells become irregularly shaped. The disease is caused by the presence of an incorrect amino acid in a certain protein. Is the sickle cell mutation beneficial, harmful, or neutral to humans?
Harmful Mutation
What are three major ways that a mutation can occur on a DNA sequence?
Deletion: removing a base
Insertion: adding a base
Substitution: replacing a sequence of bases
Is Cystic Fibrosis a harmful or beneficial mutation? Why?
Cystic fibrosis is a harmful mutation. This mutation will lead to an early death
The basic physical and functional unit of heredity made up of DNA
Gene
Other than through sexual reproduction, how can variations in genetic material occur in a population?
Through mutations
Students are modeling how genes produce proteins by using wooden tiles with letters to represent the genes.
How could you show a mutation with the blocks?
Changing one or more of the letters so that they spell a different word or no word at all
The reproductive process involving two parents whose genetic material is combined to produce a new organism different from themselves
Sexual Reproduction
The variety of gene combinations that exist within a population
Genetic Variation
In humans, the protein CFTR regulates the components of sweat, digestive fluids, and mucus. Humans can have a normal form of the gene or a mutated form. How would we know if the mutated form is harmful to humans?
Humans with the mutated form develop serious health problems
Give examples of mutations that are harmful, beneficial and neutral
Harmful: Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Anemia
Beneficial: CCR5-delta32 HIV Immunity, Lactose Tolerance
Neutral: Hair Color, Eye Color
Do mutations occur in sexually reproducing and asexual reproducing organisms? Explain your reasoning?
Since errors can occur when DNA replicates itself, mutations can occur in both asexually and sexually reproducing organisms
A change or damage in the DNA that permanently alters the genetic message that the gene carries
Mutation
A genetic mutation will most immediately affect what?
The structure of one or more proteins produced by the organism
A certain genetic mutation is found with a high frequency in populations of humans living in places that experienced a deadly disease in the past. This same mutation is rare in places that have no history of the disease. What kind of protein is being produced due to this mutation?
A protein that provides resistance to the disease
How are mutations that occur on body cells different from those on gametes?
Mutations that occur in body cells will only impact that organism, but those on gametes can be passed on to offspring