Mutations involve a physical change to genetic material that results in the abnormal encoding of protein sequences. The impact of these changes can be insignificant or devastating.

In this lab you will complete mRNA and protein sequences based on the information provided. You will be given a starting mRNA sequence, its associated amino acids, and a mutation rule. Use these to construct a new mRNA sequence. Compare the original and mutated sequences to see the impact of the mutation.

The Mutation Guide contains information on various types of mutations and their impact.

Step 1 — Click the Mutate Button to see a sequence and a mutation rule. There are two types of sequences, original and mutated.

If an original sequence is displayed, read and apply the mutation rule to the original sequence to determine the mutated sequence.

If a mutated sequence is displayed, read the mutation rule that was applied to the original sequence to get the mutated sequence. Then, work backwards from the mutated sequence to recreate the original sequence.

Step 2 — Construct the mutated or original sequence by dragging nucleotides and amino acids to their new locations. Click a nucleotide or amino acid to remove it.

Step 3 — Use the information on the Amino Acids Chart to identify the nucleotides and amino acids associated with the mRNA sequence created.

Step 4 — Click the Check Button to see if you have correctly created the mRNA and protein sequences.

Step 5 — Answer journal questions 1 - 4 for each sequence you create, and then answer the remaining questions.

Step 6 — Click the Mutate Button to generate another sequence.