Question

What is one way that a mutation in the gene encoding for a wild type protein that generally binds ligands, prevent this protein from ligand binding?

Answer 1

Wild type gene is basically normal organism have a normal gene. It makes a protein to function normally. It is opposite to "mutant gene", that has chang(es) in the DNA sequence. A mutant gene can make a malfunctioning protein, which either lose of function or gain of function.

Mutations are alterations in DNA sequences that causes changes in the structure of a gene. DNA alterations can occur spontaneously either small and large. Mutation frequency is increases by ionizing radiation or various chemical. Site-directed mutagenesis is a technique that can alter promoter regulatory regions of a gene or changes in codon in the open reading frame to know important amino acid required for protein function. Recessive mutations results in loss of function, masked if a normal copy of the gene is present. For the mutant phenotype, both alleles have mutation. Dominant mutations causes mutant phenotype when normal copy of the gene is present. This phenotypes linked with either a loss or a gain of function. one way to mutate the gene encoding wild type protein that prevents ligand from binding is that ligand binding depends on the energy conformation of receptor, point mutation that can change the energy conformation of the receptor that will change the affinity of ligand binding.