What are the differences between silent, missense, and nonsense mutations?

Silent mutations do not affect the amino acid sequence, missense mutations change one amino acid, and nonsense mutations introduce a premature stop codon.

Silent mutations are changes in the DNA sequence that do not result in a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein. This occurs because the genetic code is degenerate, meaning that multiple codons can code for the same amino acid. For example, the codons GGU, GGC, GGA, and GGG all code for the amino acid glycine. Therefore, a change in the third nucleotide of a codon may not change the amino acid that is coded for.

Missense mutations are changes in the DNA sequence that result in a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein. This occurs when a single nucleotide change results in a different codon that codes for a different amino acid. Depending on the location of the mutation, this can have varying effects on the protein's function.

Nonsense mutations are changes in the DNA sequence that introduce a premature stop codon, resulting in a truncated protein. This can have significant effects on the protein's function, as the truncated protein may not be able to perform its normal function or may be degraded by the cell.

Overall, the type of mutation and its location within the gene can have varying effects on the resulting protein and its function. Understanding the different types of mutations is important in studying genetic disorders and developing treatments.