MODULE 6

Genetic Change
Inquiry Question 1
How does mutation introduce
new alleles into a population?
Content:
• Define the term mutagen​

• Identify that mutations play a large role in introducing new alleles

into the population​

• Identify that mutagens can be chemical, naturally occurring or

physical​

• Explain how the above mutagens impact DNA and lead to mutations​
Mutagens
Mutations
• Mutations are changes in the genetic material of a cell
• Mutations may occur spontaneously (e.g. errors in DNA replication
or induced by environmental factors.
• Mutations play a large role in introducing new alleles into the
population.
Mutations
• Mutations can range from a change in a single DNA base pair to a
change in the structure of a large segment of DNA.
 Mutagens
• Environmental agents alter
DNA and cause mutations​
• Can be grouped as chemical,
naturally occurring or
physical​
• The process of inducing a
mutation is called
mutagenesis​
• Carcinogens are cancer-
causing mutagens
 Chemical Mutagens
• Chemicals that cause mutations if cells are exposed to them in high dosages​
• Different chemicals require different exposure levels and times to cause
mutations ​

• Examples​
• Ingested chemicals: Tobacco, alcohol, charred and fatty foods, preservatives​
• Environmental irritants and poisons: cleaning products, asbestos, pesticides,
organic solvents (benzene)​
So what’s in your vape?
Chemical Mutagens
• Chemicals that cause mutations are usually structurally similar to
normal bases in DNA and so they become incorporated by mistake
during replication​
• Their insertion results in a change in the DNA and therefore the mRNA
so a non-functional protein can result​

• Example ​
• Deamination agents ​
can change bases​
Chemical Mutagens
• Chemical mutagens
can also interact with
the structure of DNA
itself and change it.
• E.g. intercalating
agents insert between
bases and cause a
frameshift.
Naturally occurring mutagens
• Agents that are present in the environment at normal levels and
may cause mutations.
• The likelihood of mutation is thought to increase with increased
frequency and length of exposure.
• Can be biological or non-biological.
 Naturally occurring mutagens
Biological Mutagens ​
• end products of metabolism - example nitrosamines are formed when
certain foods are eaten together​
• transposons: sections of DNA that spontaneously fragment, multiply and
relocate into other sections of DNA​
• microbes: viruses and bacteria that can affect DNA structure by inserting
their own DNA into our genome​

Non- Biological Mutagens​

• naturally occurring substances such as mercury and cadmium ​
 Transposons

Virus
Physical mutagens
• Substances that include heat and ionising radiation
• They can physically interact with the DNA molecule.
Physical mutagens
Radiation​
• Not all radiation is harmful​
• The harmful type is called ionising radiation -it has enough energy
to break the chemical bonds in DNA​
• Within the electromagnetic spectrum, the shorter wavelengths (with
higher energy) of UV, X-ray and gamma radiation are ionising
 Physical mutagens
Example: Ultraviolet radiation
• Broken down into UVA, UVB and UVC
UVA
• 315 – 400 nm
• Non-ionising
• Damage may be related to ageing.
UVB and UVC​
• 280-315nm and 180-280nm​
• Ionising radiation​
• Breaks bonds in DNA and causes cross
linkage of nucleotides​
• This prevents the nucleotides from pairing
with their bases in the complementary strand
– ending the strand prematurely​
Other Sources of Ionising Radiation
 Thinking Questions

1. Distinguish between mutagen and mutation using examples.

2. How would the formation of a dimer interrupt DNA replication

3. Why are women give a lead shield over her ovaries when she gets
an abdominal x-ray – why is it important?

4. Explain why viruses can be described as mutagens.