Protein Synthesis Lab Analysis

1. Protein synthesis starts off by the transcription of DNA into RNA in the nucleus. Then, the mRNA texts the nucleus and goes into the cytoplasm to attach to a ribosome. Once the RNA is attached, the code is read by a sequence of 3 bases that make up a codon. tRNA brings the proper amino acid to the codon that is needed. Then the ribosome puts all of the amino acids together to form a chain until the stop codon is read.

2. Insertions and deletions had the greatest effect because they are frameshift mutations and it changes the whole code for the following codons. Substitutions had the least effect because it only changed one base pair and no other bases were changed. It does matter where mutations occur because there are certain codons for start and start that are critical for the structure of proteins. If the change is early in the sequence, then it effects a lot more codons which will change the protein more. If the mutation is later then it doesn't change as many amino acids.

3. I chose 2 deletion because a single deletion had a big effect on making protein. Though it is similar to insertion, my mutation changed the length of the chain of amino acids because it didn't have a start or stop codon since there was a mutation in the first base. It matters a lot where the mutation occurs, and since I put mine at the very front it changed the start codon and the rest after that. 

4. Mutations can affect how our bodies work and look since we are made up of proteins. Mutations can change the original plan of our structure for better or for worse. A mutation like being able to fly would be very useful, and I could go work with the X-men. Some mutations can simply result in visible changes to the body while others change the entire functionality and effectiveness of all systems that help people survive. Progeria is a mutated disease that causes premature aging in children and a reduced life span. It is caused by a point mutations of substituting cytosine for thymine. There is about 1 person mutated for every  8 million births. Most have small, fragile bodies, like an elderly person's. Their face is wrinkled and the head is in larger proportion to their body. People born with progeria live to around mid-teens to early 20s.