Answer: Mutation can lead to cancer and other genetic diseases.
Explanation: Mutation is a permanent change in a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) nucleotide sequence. DNA can be mutated by substitution/replacement of one or more base pairs, insertion/addition or deletion of one or more base pairs. When the mutation is not repaired by the DNA repair system, it can be transmitted to a younger generation. Mutation caused by base substitution can be silent if it affects nonessential DNA, while other mutations can be deleterious. Mutation can be missense if the base substitution produces a codon that codes a different amino acid and leads to the synthesis of a different polypeptide chain.
A base substitution can be nonsense if it results in a termination codon that stops the process of translation. Sickle cell disease results from a single base substitution whereby valine replaces glutamate at the sixth position of the beta globin chain.
Deletion of a base pair can result in alteration of the translational frame thereby producing a nonfunctional protein.
