A silent mutation is characterized by which outcome?

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Multiple Choice

A silent mutation is characterized by which outcome?

Explanation:
Silent mutations hinge on how the genetic code is degenerate: multiple codons can encode the same amino acid. If the change occurs in a codon but still codes for the same amino acid—often because the third base can wobble and pair in different ways—the protein sequence stays unchanged. That means the protein is typically not affected, even though the DNA sequence has changed. If the mutation altered the amino acid, it would be a missense mutation. If a stop codon were created, that would be a nonsense mutation, truncating the protein. If the reading frame were shifted, that would be a frameshift mutation, altering every downstream codon.

Silent mutations hinge on how the genetic code is degenerate: multiple codons can encode the same amino acid. If the change occurs in a codon but still codes for the same amino acid—often because the third base can wobble and pair in different ways—the protein sequence stays unchanged. That means the protein is typically not affected, even though the DNA sequence has changed.

If the mutation altered the amino acid, it would be a missense mutation. If a stop codon were created, that would be a nonsense mutation, truncating the protein. If the reading frame were shifted, that would be a frameshift mutation, altering every downstream codon.

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