Thomas Langford

10 Marks: All mutations are detrimental and will result in harmful changes to the
organism: Discuss.
Are all mutations detrimental and will they result in harmful
changes to the organism?
In an organism a mutation can occur from two searate sources. !irst a mutation
of the organism"s D#A could haen when the cell is undergoing either mitosis or
meiosis leading to a change in the se$uence of %ases. There are two main classes of D#A
mutation: &oint Mutations where a %ase is relaced %y a different %ase and
Insertion'Deletion Mutations in which airs of nucleotides are inserted or deleted into
the hoshate %ack%one. The second way a mutation can occur in a cell is through a
(hromosome mutation where a carcinogenic su%stance or ioni)ing radiation causes the
structure of the chromosome to %e altered. A change to the chromosome"s shae can
also occur during D#A *elication.
Mutations of D#A are normally harmless for the organism+ due to the D#A coding for
the order of amino acids to form oly,etides any changes to the order of %ases or the
order of codons will mean that the rotein roduced from the Translation of the D#A
will ultimately %e incorrect and will %e una%le to structurally fulfill its role. An en)yme
may ha-e an acti-e site shaed differently to the desired su%strate which will inhi%it
the cells function or the mutation will change the order of the amino acids which may
re-ent certain %onds forming in a Tertiary structure of a rotein. weakening its o-erall
strength. This can %e detrimental to the cell if the rotein was used in a structural role
such as (ollagen. /owe-er these changes will not ha-e an ad-erse imact on the
organism. if the mutation occurs within one cell after the initial growth hase of the
organism the cell containing the mutation will %e detected and destroyed %y the %ody or
the change in the one cell will not imact the o-erall organism. 0ccasionally a mutation of
the D#A can cause the cell to %ecome cancerous which can %e fatal to an organism. this
is rarer in D#A Mutations than (hromosome Mutations %ut can still haen as a result of
D#A mutations.
Any mutation that occurs early in the life,cycle of an organism. during meiosis of
gametes or when a fertili)ed egg di-ides to %ecome a )ygote. will ha-e a massi-e imact
on the de-eloment on the organism. This is %ecause the cell containing the mutation will
%e a%le to di-ide uninhi%ited and will form a larger art of the cellular makeu of the
organism one it has reached a de-eloed stage in its growth 1such as the fetal stage in
most mammals2. These mutations can either %e ositi-e or ha-e ad-erse conse$uences
for the organism.
The earliest e3amles of the human secies in Africa had dark skin due to an a%undance
of the igment Melanin which rotected them from the effects of high e3osure to 45
radiation1 6ee %elow2 in e$uatorial climates. /owe-er due to the intensity of the 45
radiation the concentration igment did not fully %lock the 45 radiation and inhi%it the
synthesis of 5itamin D. 6ome humans. howe-er. de-eloed mutations which either
inhi%ited or greatly reduced the roduction of Melanin which lead to those indi-iduals
ha-ing a aler skin coloring making them more susceti%le to sun %urn and skin cancer.
This is clearly a detrimental imact of a mutation. /owe-er as humans migrated away
from the e$uator to more temerate climates the concentration of 45 radiation
decreased leading to those indi-iduals with an increased le-el of the igment %eing
una%le to synthesi)e enough 5itamin D. 7hile indi-iduals with the mutation which caused
a reduction in Melanin roduction had an ad-antage as they could roduce enough 5itamin
D. Thus ro-ing that the same mutation can %e %eneficial as well as detrimental.
8-olution is akin to the e3amle listed a%o-e as the e3amle a%o-e shows how Intra,
secific cometition is affected %y mutations. howe-er mutations can again %e %oth
%eneficial and detrimental to Inter,secific cometition as well. A grou of secies that
are an e3amle of e-olution and how mutations ha-e dri-en cometition. are Darwin"s
!inches and one such secies the Large Insecti-orous Tree !inch. 7hen the finches
arri-ed on the 9alaagos Archielago they were originally one large secies that o-er
time has e-ol-ed. through a series of mutations of D#A. to form the ten distinct secies
that inha%it the islands today. Indi-iduals with a mutation that ga-e them a slight
ad-antage o-er their en-ironment ena%led them do well and to %reed gi-ing some of their
offsring the trait that made them successful. An e3amle of this is the finches with
longer. grasing %eaks. where more suita%le for catching insects so that they could a2
catch more insects and %2 catch insects that had re-iously %een a%le to a-oid other
finches16ee Image 0ne at the end of this :uestion2. /owe-er some mutations may
inhi%it a finch from catching rey or %eing a%le to %reed. These mutations. while not
directly harmful to the finch are detrimental to it"s success and its long term sur-i-al. A
distant relati-e of the Large Insecti-orous Tree !inch"s was successful with a large.
grasing %eak so assed the trait down to his offsring. then they assed it to their
offsring and so forth until seciation occurred where the Large Insecti-orous Tree
!inch emerged as its own distinct secies.
7hile natural mutation of an organism"s genetic code can %e %oth %eneficial and
detrimental at times. mutations of cells caused %y e3osure to e3ternal sources such as
ioni)ing radiation or carcinogenic su%stances are more often than not detrimental to the
well %eing of the organism concerned. /igh e3osure to ioni)ing 145 or 9amma2 radiation
or carcinogens can cause ramant growth within e3osed cells to form tumorous cells
17here the structure of the chromosomes ha-e mutated so that the cell %egins to
di-ide at an uninhi%ited rate2 which will ultimately lead to the fatality of the organism
where these cells enter the lymhatic system and sread to other arts of the %ody.
0-ere3osure to the higher ioni)ing alha and %eta radiation can dislay similar effects
%ut the (hromosome Mutations can %e so se-ere that the cells will cease to function
and. on a large scale or from a large dose. can result in organ failure and se-ere tissue
damage.
There is not a clear cut answer to "Are all mutations detrimental and will they result in
harmful changes to the organism?". Mutations dri-e e-olution. while some mutations may
%e harmful or reduce the a%ility of some organisms to comete some may %e hugely
%eneficial and ensure the sur-i-al of the secies or colony such as Darwin"s !inches
adating to new food sources through mutations. /owe-er mutations can also cause
damage in the form of cancer or causing genetic diseases where an indi-idual may %e
una%le to e3ress a mutated gene which would ha-e an imact on that indi-idual"s well
%eing.