NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -While most point mutations are benign, they can also have various functional consequences, including changes in gene expression or alterations in encoded proteins.

Detailed explanation-2: -Point mutations are typically known to be caused during DNA replication, and are thus a product of other genetic processes. Although most point mutations are considered to be more or less benign, there is usually a risk that they can lead to loss of protein function and ultimately, to various diseases.

Detailed explanation-3: -Between one-quarter and one-third of point mutations in protein-coding DNA sequences are synonymous. Those mutations have generally been assumed to be neutral, or nearly so. A new study involving the genetic manipulation of yeast cells shows that most synonymous mutations are strongly harmful.

Detailed explanation-4: -Mutations can be neutral, harmful, or beneficial, though the neutral theory of molecular evolution predicts that most mutations are “nearly” neutral or only slightly deleterious, while beneficial mutations-which confer a survival advantage on an organism and, if it reproduces, on its progeny-are quite rare.

Detailed explanation-5: -These mutations can be either beneficial or detrimental. Cancer is an example of how they can be detrimental. Other effects of point mutations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA, depend on the location of the mutation within the gene.