Here's a breakdown:
* Point mutation: A change in a single nucleotide within a gene.
* Base pair: The two complementary nucleotides that bind together in DNA (Adenine with Thymine, or Guanine with Cytosine).
Types of Point Mutations:
* Substitution: One base is replaced with another. This can lead to:
* Silent mutation: The change doesn't alter the amino acid sequence of the protein.
* Missense mutation: The change results in a different amino acid being incorporated into the protein.
* Nonsense mutation: The change results in a stop codon, prematurely terminating protein synthesis.
* Insertion: An extra base is added to the sequence.
* Deletion: A base is removed from the sequence.
Point mutations can have a variety of effects on the resulting protein, ranging from no effect to a complete loss of function.
