A mutation in a protein occurs when one amino acid is replaced by
another. That may not sound like a big deal, but the results can be
huge. After all, you learned in the theory section
that the 3D structure of a protein is a direct result of the amino
acid sequence. The function and activity of a protein are in turn a
direct result of the 3D structure. So a mutation will effect the
activity. Sometimes the changes are very subtle. However, in
unfortunate cases the protein becomes completely useless or even
detrimental to your health.
Here you see the result of a mutation from valine (green) to
tryptophan (yellow). Tryptophan is much larger than valine so many
parts of the protein have to be moved around to make room for our
mutated amino acid. This must have severe consequences. Click Again!
to repeat the animation.
