Nonsense Mutation - Simple Example

Simple Example

DNA: 5' - ATG ACT CAC CGA GCG CGA AGC TGA - 3' 3' - TAC TGA GTG GCT CGC GCT TCG ACT - 5' mRNA: 5' - AUG ACU CAC CGA GCG CGA AGC UGA - 3' Protein: Met Thr His Arg Ala Arg Ser Stop

Suppose that a nonsense mutation was introduced at the fourth triplet in the DNA sequence (CGA) causing the cytosine to be replaced with thymine, yielding TGA in the DNA sequence. Since TGA is transcribed-then-translated as UGA, the resulting transcript and protein product would be:

DNA: 5' - ATG ACT CAC TGA GCG CGA AGC TGA - 3' 3' - TAC TGA GTG ACT CGC GCT TCG ACT - 5' mRNA: 5' - AUG ACU CAC UGA GCG CGU AGC UGA - 3' Protein: Met Thr His Stop

The remaining codons of the mRNA are not translated into amino proteins because the stop codon is prematurely reached during translation. This can yield a truncated abbreviated protein product, which quite often lacks the functionality of the normal, non-mutant protein.