Insertion Mutation
Definition
An insertion mutation occurs when one or more nucleotide base pairs are inserted into the DNA sequence.
Analogy
Imagine you're reading a sentence and suddenly extra letters appear out of nowhere, changing the meaning entirely. That's what happens with insertion mutations - they add extra "letters" (nucleotides) to our genetic "sentence" (DNA sequence), which can change its meaning (protein function).
Related terms
Frameshift Mutation: A type of mutation involving the insertion or deletion of a nucleotide in which the number added or deleted is not divisible by three, causing improper grouping during translation and resulting in different amino acids being produced.
Point Mutation: A mutation affecting only one or very few nucleotides in a gene sequence.
Duplication Mutation: A type of mutation where part of the chromosome gets duplicated and thus appears more than once on it.
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