In: Biology
1. For which reason might single nucleotide differences lead to varying phenotypes? For what reason might a single nucloetide not lead to differences in the expression of certain phenotypes?
2. What do you think is the best way to estimate species? Why? Should one source of data be used instead of another?
Please keep answers simple and understandable!! thanks
1) The way to determine when a single nucleotide difference will result in an amino acid sequence modification is simple.
It includes many steps for the determination:
The mutation occurs in the coding or non-coding region. If it occurs in the non-coding region, then it does not cause a change in any sequence and does not lead to the formation of a new protein. Therefore It does not cause a change in expression of phenotypes.
If the mutation is in the coding region, if the mutation changes the intron or the exon. The intron is the segment of eukaryotic DNA, which is spliced out of mRNA and has been transcribed from the DNA. If the mutation does not change the ability of the intron to change the splice site. Therefore it will not modify the amino acid sequence.
If the mutation does modify the splice site, then the resulting protein would be longer and non-functional because the fold would be wrong and shorter. If it changes the protein, then phenotypic difference occurs .
If the mutation is in the exon, which is expressed in the final amino acid sequence. If there will be a change in the actual sequence. If your mutation results in a codon change from UUU to UUA or UUG, then the resulting amino acid is not phenylalanine, but as a substitute codes for leucine. This modifies the amino acid sequence and get a phenotypic difference.
If you have an insertion or deletion mutation, this would change all of the codons and results amino acids that the code for downstream of the mutation, if the insertion or deletion is not in a multiple of three bases. Therefore, loss of only one nucleotide or gain of only one nucleotide results in phenotypic differences.