silentmutatsioon

Silentmutatsioon is a type of point mutation where a change in the DNA sequence does not result in a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein being synthesized. This occurs because of the degeneracy of the genetic code, where multiple codons can code for the same amino acid. For instance, the amino acid leucine can be coded by six different codons. If a mutation changes a codon for leucine from one of these six to another, the resulting protein will still be leucine, and thus the mutation is silent.

Despite the name, silent mutations are not always without consequence. While they do not alter the protein sequence, they can still affect gene expression in several ways. Some silent mutations can affect mRNA splicing, potentially leading to the production of aberrant proteins or affecting the efficiency of splicing. Others can influence mRNA stability or translation speed. Changes in codon usage can also impact protein folding and interactions. Therefore, the term "silent" is often considered a misnomer as these mutations can have phenotypic effects, though they are not directly related to altered protein function. They are often detected through genomic sequencing but may not be apparent through functional assays alone. Researchers continue to investigate the functional significance of these seemingly silent changes in the genome.