Gene mutations occur at the level of organization of the living, called molecular

At what level of living organization does gene mutation occur and what are the true causes of this process?

Gene mutations are a process of modifying the structure of DNA. And today there are a lot of unsolved reasons for this process and many scientists are trying to get a mutated gene in their laboratories. What are the true causes of this phenomenon and what can it lead to? Further in our article we will try to answer these questions.

The concept of gene mutation

The process is based on changes in the structure of DNA, as well as amino acids contained in RNA. Such violations can be expressed in the insertion, loss, replacement of any nucleotide sequence. At what level do gene mutations occur? Many scientists have tried to get a reliable answer to this question. And as a result of a lot of research, it was concluded at what level of organization of living gene mutations occur - on the molecular.

The term "mutation" itself dates back to the first half of the 20th century. The scientist Hugo de Fries formulated this concept, explaining on the basis of the laws of Mendel.

Highlights in the evolution of mutations

At the beginning of the 20th century, the biologist Hugo de Fries, thanks to his experimental data, was able to establish the main points in the evolution of genetic mutations of living organisms:

1. They may occur unexpectedly.
2. They are hereditary in nature, can be transmitted from generation to generation.
3. They do not gather in groups and continuous rows.
4. They can have a different nature of manifestation: negative, neutral or positive and are able to act both in dominant signs and in recessive ones.
5. The establishment of a possible mutation depends on the number of samples analyzed.
6. The same mutations may recur over time.
7. Mutations are able to undergo any part of the chromosome.

The main causes of mutations

As mentioned above, it is at the molecular level of the organization of living that gene mutations occur. This is proved by experimental data obtained over several centuries. Many scientists spent a lot of time to establish causes of gene mutations. Among these changes, the following can be distinguished:

• Having a mutagenic nature. Every living organism is capable of mutation, but there are factors that can trigger this process. These include ultraviolet radiation, ionizing rays, high temperature, the effects of chemicals and viruses.
• Having an antimutagenic nature. This includes the degeneracy of the genetic code in each subsequent generation, the dual structure of DNA.

Living organization levels

There are seven basic levels of living organization:

• cellular;
• molecular;
• tissue;
• organ;
• organismic;
• popular species;
• biogeocenosis;
• biosphere.

Let's look at the main characteristic of the molecular level, which is the most initial in the stages of the organization of all life on Earth. Each organism consists of substances such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats and nucleic acids, and gene mutations at the level of living organization, called molecular, occur precisely among the latter. Mutations at this level lead to a change in the structure of the protein and the development of new properties in the body. Gene mutations can also occur even among RNA of viral organisms.

Problems of mutation in modern science

To date, scientists have analyzed each of Mendel’s laws. They concluded that there are special changes that accumulate with each next generation. But besides them, minor ones were also established, which were called facial.

So, it’s known that gene mutations occur at the level of living organization, represented by molecules. But the usefulness or harm of changing the sequence of genes depends on the environment of its occurrence.

People learned to independently change the characteristics of the molecular level, which led to the appearance of spontaneous mutations and, as a result, to pathological diseases of mankind. Also negative factors of such a process include a change in the environment, since it is they that affect the correct order of genes.

Mutations among people

There are many cases of sequence changes in genes among mankind. Here are some examples of gene mutations:

• Early aging of the body. This disease is called progeria. Due to the incorrect sequence of genes, the human body dies by the age of 30. Such people at a young age suffer from strokes, heart attacks. They are the cause of death. The disease is not treatable today.
• People with Younes Tan syndrome who move only on all fours. These patients are mentally retarded in development and hardly speak.
• Patients with the so-called werewolf syndrome - excessive vegetation develops on their body, especially on the face, ears and neck.
• Damage to the immune system is a congenital disease, and patients with such a disease live for a short time, since their immunity is practically zero, and the body is a target for many harmful microorganisms.
• Patients with Marfan syndrome - this mutation leads to the development of disproportionate sizes of limbs in humans. Very often, such people have problems with the spine.
• People with a strong sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation.
• Patients with Liu-Bar syndrome (the nervous system and immunity are affected, children are born mentally retarded, the risk of cancer is increased).

Among animals, mutations that lead to the birth of albinos can be distinguished. And among plants, this is a change in the structure of the flower, a decrease or increase in fertility, etc.

Unfortunately, today almost all diseases caused by a change in the sequence of genes are not treatable. People die at an early age, because these changes occur at the molecular level, and it is almost impossible to influence this process. They can occur spontaneously due to changes in environmental conditions. Therefore, for scientists there remains a huge number of unsolved questions in this area.