Gene Mutations - Frame Shift Mutations

A frame shift mutation is a type of gene mutation caused by the insertion or deletion of one or more nucleotides in a DNA sequence, which shifts the reading frame of codons and alters the entire amino acid sequence of the protein.

• Frame shift mutations occur when a single nucleotide is either inserted into or deleted from a DNA segment.
• Since the genetic code is continuous, this alteration shifts the entire reading frame of codons from the mutation site onwards.
• These changes are highly harmful because they completely change the resulting sequence of amino acids and overall gene expression.
• There are two distinct types of these mutations: insertion mutations (adding a nucleotide) and deletion mutations (removing a nucleotide).
• Such mutations can lead to severe hereditary diseases, like muscular dystrophy, by prematurely terminating the translation of essential proteins.

Shift in the triplet arrangement of the nucleotide sequence by a frame-shift mutation: