Question

What mechanism causes a frameshift mutation?

Options

• Substitution of one base pair

• Breakage of DNA strands

• Insertion or deletion of base pairs

• Formation of thymine dimers

Answer 1

Frameshift mutations are caused by the insertion or deletion of base pairs, which alters the triplet reading frame used during translation. This mechanism differs from point mutations (substitution) and results in significant changes to the downstream protein sequence, often producing non-functional proteins.