Mutations

By rsosa, 20th Feb 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/ibctkw-i/
Posted in Wikinut>Health>General Health>Diseases & Infections

Mutation is harmful and beneficial which alters with the DNA sequence and the different causes of mutation. Albinism is a harmful mutation and sickle cell disease is both harmful and beneficial mutation.

Benefits and Dangerous Ways of Mutations

There are many ways mutations can occur, some may be harmful or some may be beneficial. However, the first thing you need to know is the background of what a mutation is in order to understand what a harmful mutation is and what a beneficial mutation is. Mutation is a change in a DNA sequence of a gene. This happens when a DNA gene is damaged or changed in a way where it can alter the genetic material of that gene. In simpler terms, mutation occurs when something is added or removed from the DNA sequence. Mutations can occur in various ways such as radiation from sunlight, chemicals like hydroxylamine, or simply a spontaneous mutation. Spontaneous means mutations can occur without any environmental change to the body. A harmful mutation is caused by errors in protein sequence of the DNA, creating non-functional proteins. In order for a cell to function properly it needs to depend on thousands and thousands of proteins to work at the right place and time. If these proteins aren't working properly, it can lead to a medical condition. On the other hand, there are beneficial mutations.
A beneficial mutation is typically classified as a mutation that allows the mutant organism to withstand a particular environmental stresses better than organisms without the mutation. An example of a harmful mutation is Sickle Cell Anemia, which is a serious disorder in which the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells. These sickle-shaped cells are flat so they often block the blood flow of blood vessels to the limbs and organs. When the blood flow is blocked it can usually cause pain, infections, and damage to the organs. However, Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) can also be a beneficial mutation. For example, individuals with SCA are more resistant to malaria than those without SCA because the sickling of the cells that it infests halts the infestation of malaria plasmodium. Sickle Cell Anemia isn't the only harmful mutation.
Another harmful mutation is albinism in which the skin lacks color pigments in the skin, hair, and eyes. There are two types of albinism: oculocutaneous and ocular. Oculocutaneous affects the eyes, skin, and hair while ocular affects the eyes only. It is harmful because it lacks the dark pigment called melanin, which protects the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation; so they are more prone to burning due to overexposure. In conclusion, mutations can be harmful and beneficial in many different ways by either adding or removing the amino acid in the DNA sequence of a gene.