A Heritable Change in DNA Base Sequence is Called A

Question

A heritable change in DNA base sequence is called a
A) forward mutation.
B) reversion.
C) substitution.
D) deletion.
E) mutation.

Accepted Answer

A heritable change in DNA base sequence can be simply defined as a mutation. While a substitution (C) could be considered a type of mutation, it is more specific and only refers to the replacement of one nucleotide with another. A deletion (D) is also a type of mutation but specifically involves the loss of one or more nucleotides in a DNA sequence. A forward mutation (A) refers to a change in the DNA sequence that alters the coding of a gene, while a reversion (B) is a specific type of forward mutation where a mutated gene returns to its original sequence. Therefore, the best answer for a heritable change in DNA base sequence is E, mutation.