Chromosome structure mutations
Chromosome structure mutations are alterations that affect whole chromosomes and whole genes rather than just individual nucleotides.
These mutations result from errors in cell division that cause a section of a chromosome to break off, be duplicated or move onto another chromosome.
Chromosome structure mutations can be one of four types:
- deletion is where a section of a chromosome is removed.
- translocation is where a section of a chromosome is added to another chromosome that is not its homologous partner.
- inversion is where a section of a chromosome is reversed.
- duplication occurs when a section of a chromosome is added from its homologous partner.
Chromosome mutations are often lethal as the chromosome structure is altered.
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