A non-conservative missense mutation results in

A non-conservative missense mutation results in

• A. A stop codon is introduced
• B. The same amino acid
• C. A different amino acid with different properties
• D. A deletion

Answer: (C)

A non-conservative missense mutation changes one amino acid to a different one with distinct properties, such as a switch from hydrophobic to charged or polar. This alteration can disrupt how the protein folds, its stability, or the shape and chemistry of an active site, leading to functional changes. If a stop codon were introduced, that would be a nonsense mutation, which truncates the protein rather than simply swapping one amino acid. If the same amino acid is produced, the change is silent (no effect on the amino acid sequence), not a missense. A deletion would remove amino acids and often cause frameshifts or loss of function, not just substitute a single residue.

A non-conservative missense mutation changes one amino acid to a different one with distinct properties, such as a switch from hydrophobic to charged or polar. This alteration can disrupt how the protein folds, its stability, or the shape and chemistry of an active site, leading to functional changes.

If a stop codon were introduced, that would be a nonsense mutation, which truncates the protein rather than simply swapping one amino acid. If the same amino acid is produced, the change is silent (no effect on the amino acid sequence), not a missense. A deletion would remove amino acids and often cause frameshifts or loss of function, not just substitute a single residue.