Why is tautomerization important in DNA?
Why is tautomerization important in DNA?
In DNA, spontaneous formation of minor tautomers has been speculated to contribute to mutagenic mispairings during DNA replication, whereas in RNA, minor tautomeric forms have been proposed to enhance the structural and functional diversity of RNA enzymes and aptamers.
How does tautomerization affect base pairing?
C pairs “fit” together via hydrogen bonding. This allows a double helix to form with the strands antiparallel, and it also satisfies Erwin Chargaff’s observation that the molar amounts of A and T are always equal, as are G and C. Tautomerization changes the base pairing abilities of the base as depicted in the figure.
What kind of mutations do tautomeric shifts cause?
A tautomeric shift in one strand has produced a transition mutation in the complementary strand. If the mutation occurs in the germline, it will be transmitted to future generations. IMPORTANT: Note that a tautomeric shift is not itself a mutation, but a transient change to an alternative form of the molecule.
What type of mutations are caused by tautomeric shifts of nitrogenous bases?
transition mutation – change of one purine/pyrimidine pair to the other purine/pyrimidine pair. This can happen when one base member of a complementary pair undergoes a tautomeric shift during DNA replication, causing it to mispair.
What is tautomerization in DNA?
In DNA bases, tautomerization results in altered base pairing configurations or mispairing due to changes in hydrogen-bonding capabilities. DNA mutations are likely to be caused by such alterations. Cytosine is one of the building pyrimidine nucleobases of RNA.
Which type of mutation arises due to a tautomeric shift in nitrogenous bases of DNA?
What do tautomeric shifts do?
The spontaneous isomerization of a nitrogen base to an alternative hydrogen-bonding form, possibly resulting in a mutation. Reversible shifts of proton position in a molecule. bases in nucleic acids shift between keto and enol forms or between amino and imino forms.
Which mutations cause Frameshifts to occur?
A frameshift mutation is a genetic mutation caused by a deletion or insertion in a DNA sequence that shifts the way the sequence is read.
