FS21

Exploration 3.3: Inevitability of Error

Last name:
Cooke First name:
Jilly Student ID#:
01260754

Ingredients
•3 bacon slices
1) On the right is a recipe for potato soup. If the •1 cup chopped onion Mutation type:
•3 pounds baking potatoes
recipe is unchanged, potato soup will result. In each •Cooking spray
•1/2 cup water
of the boxes below: 1) predict what type of DNA •2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
mutation the change in the recipe is analogous to, •1/2 teaspoon black pepper Effect on protein:
•2 cups 1% low-fat milk
and 2) the effect the change might have on a protein. •4 ounces cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup light sour cream
•4 teaspoons fresh chives

Ingredients
•3 bacon slices
•1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes
•Cooking spray
•1/2 cup water
A) •2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 1% low-fat milk
•4 ounces cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup light sour cream
•4 teaspoons fresh chives
Ingredients Ingredients
Ingredients •3 bacon slices
•3 bacon slices •3 bacon slices
•1 cup chopped onion •1 cup chopped onion
•1 cup chopped onion
•3 lbs baking potatoes
Mutation type: •3 pounds baking potatoes •DONE Mutation type:
•Cooking spray
•Cooking spray •1/2 cup water
•1/2 cup water silent •2 cans fat-free broth nonsense
•2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
B) •1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 1% low-fat milk
Effect on protein: •2 cups 1% low-fat milk Effect on protein:
•4 ounces cheddar cheese
•4 ounces cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup light sour cream
•1/2 cup light sour cream
No effect •4 teaspoons fresh chives
Loss of function
•4 teaspoons fresh chives DONE

Ingredients Ingredients Ingredients Ingredients

•3 bacon slices
•1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes
•Cooking spray
•1/2 cup water
C) •2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 1% low-fat milk
•4 ounces cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup light sour cream
•4 teaspoons fresh chives
•3 pizza slices •3 bacon slices •3 bacon slices
•1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes
Mutation type: •1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes,
•1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes Mutation type:
•Cooking spray •Cooking spray •Cooking spray
•1/2 cup water non-conservative missense •1/2 cup water •1/2 cup water conservative missense
•2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
D) •2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 1% low-fat milk
Effect on protein: •1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 1% low-fat milk
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 2% low-fat milk Effect on protein:
•4 ounces cheddar cheese •4 ounces cheddar cheese •4 ounces shredded cheese
•1/2 cup light sour cream Reduced functionality •1/2 cup light sour cream •1/2 cup light sour cream Reduced functionality
•4 teaspoons fresh chives •4 teaspoons fresh chives •4 teaspoons fresh chives

Ingredients Ingredients Ingredients Ingredients

•3 bacon slices
•1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes
•Cooking spray
•1/2 cup water
E) •2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 1% low-fat milk
•4 ounces cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup light sour cream
•4 teaspoons fresh chives
•3 bacon slices
•1 upc hoppedo nionp
• 3 oundsb akingp otatoesC
• ookings prayc
•1/2 upw aterc
•2 ansf at-freet
•1/2 easpoons altt
•1/2 easpoonf lackp epperc
•2 upsl 1% ow-fatm ilko
•4 uncesc heddarc heesec
•1/2 upl ights ourc reamt
•4 easpoonsf reshc hives
•3 bacon slices
Mutation type: •1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes,
•Cooking spray
frameshift •1/2 cup water
F) •2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
Effect on protein: •1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 2% low-fat milk
•4 ounces of cheddar cheese
Loss of function •1/2 cup light sour cream
•4 teaspoons fresh chives
•3 bacon slices
•1 cup chopped onion
•3 pounds baking potatoes Mutation type:
•Cooking spray
•1/2 cup water conservative missense
•2 cans fat-free broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•2 cups 2% low-fat milk Effect on protein:
•4 tons of shredded cheese
•1/2 cup light sour cream Loss of function
•4 teaspoons fresh chives

2) A protein’s function depends on its shape and its shape depends on the order of amino acids dictated by
the corresponding gene. Use your intuition to rank the following point mutations by their likelihood to
completely destroy the function of the protein that results.

Point mutations
Most likely 1. non-conservative missense
- Silent mutation
2. nonsense
- Conservative missense mutation
3. frameshift
- Non-conservative missense mutation
4. conservative missense
- Frameshift mutation
- Nonsense mutation Least likely 5. silent

3). What property of the genetic code allows for a silent mutation to cause the exact same protein to be made
as from an unmutated gene?
Degeneracy.

1
 FS21
Exploration 3.3: Inevitability of Error

4) Below is a graph representing data on the incidence of cancer by age in the United States.

a) What general trend do you think is indicated by the graph?

The likelihood of cancer increases as people

# occurrences
age.

b) What do you think might be responsible for the trend?

Cells in older people have been dividing for longer and are more Age

likely to make mistakes.

5) What stage of the cell cycle both produces mutations and

ensures that already existing mutations within a cell are almost
perfectly transmitted to the two resulting daughter cells?
S phase.
6) What types of cells in your body might be more prone to
mutations than others? Why?
Those that more frequently undergo cellular division and/or
those that are exposed to mutagens more often. All types of
cells have the possibility to mutate, however, cells that are
almost always exposed to harsh environments or substances
that are damaging to the cells are more prone to mutations.

7) A mutation in which of the following classes of genes do you think would most quickly lead to a cell becoming
cancerous? Why?
• Proto-oncogenes (growth factors) – produce proteins which stimulate a cell to progress through its cell
cycle
• Cell cycle control genes (growth suppressors) – produce proteins which prevent cells from progressing
through the cell cycle if favorable conditions are not met
• DNA repair genes – produce proteins that repair mutational damage to DNA throughout the cell cycle
• Apoptosis genes – produce proteins which initiate a self-destruction pathway in a cell if the cell is
unable to meet certain cell cycle checkpoint requirements
Cell cycle control genes, because

if growth suppressor genes mutate, they cannot halt cell division and therefore
cells continually divide without regard for optimal internal cell conditions.

8) How is the effect of a mutation in a gene for a structural protein (like muscle proteins) different from a
mutation in a gene for a regulatory protein (like cell cycle control genes)?
Structural proteins function as physical entities necessary for the life of the
cell while regulatory proteins affect the programming of the cell's functions.