Protein Synthesis

    Proteins are made starting with DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid. The first step of the process is transcription, where one strand of the double helix is used as a template to make mRNA, or messenger RNA. All of this takes place in the nucleus, as DNA cannot exit it. The mRNA then travels to a ribosome, and goes through the process of translation. In this process, every three bases in the RNA sequence, called a codon, is coded for an amino acid. After the strand of mRNA is finished translating, the amino acid chain is twisted and folded into a protein.

Transcription and Translation. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

    The insertion and deletion mutations, also known as frame-shift mutations, are more impactful than substitution mutations. The mutations are also more impactful if they are located near the start of the sequence. If the mutation was near the front of the sequence, then all the amino acids after the mutation would be affected. But if it were located near the end, only a few amino acids would be changed.

Point Mutations. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

    I chose insertion as my mutation because it is a frame-shift mutation and is very impactful. This was more damaging than other mutations, since it forced the sequence to not even be able to be translated. I mutated the very beginning of the sequence so that the mutation would do the most damage. Putting the mutation in the back would not have done as much damage.

Insertion. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

     Mutations could affect my life by making me do some things that "normal" people wouldn't do. For example, I might have mental retardation, which would make me think like a child for the rest of my life. My body might also not work properly, which may lead to sickness, or even death. Phenylketonuria is a disease caused by a mutation on the PAH gene, located on chromosome 12. It can lead to intellectual disability, seizures, behavioral problems, and mental disorder.

Structure of L-phenylalanine. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.