DNA deletion mutation. Animation showing a strand of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) unravelling to display its genetic code, followed by an illustration of a deletion mutation. A helicase enzyme (red) is shown moving along the DNA molecule, separating the complementary strands. The genetic code is the sequence of the nucleotide bases along a strand (cytosine, C, blue; guanine, G, yellow; adenine, A, green; thymine, T, red). The sequence is labelled here, with adjacent groups of three bases known as codons, which code for the production of amino acids (the basis of proteins). The animation shows an adenine nucleotide base being removed (deleted), shifting the other bases along. This changes the codons and is a type of frame-shift mutation. |