Effects of Mutations

Effects of Mutations

The effects of mutations vary greatly. At one extreme there is little or no effect. Perhaps the mutant cell is unable to manufacture an enzyme that is relatively unimportant, and the cell continues to function effective . At the other extreme, mutations cause cell death. In such a case, the cell may be unable to produce an enzyme needed for energy release, so it cannot survive. 

The mutations of most concern are those between these extremes. They result in some decrease in cell efficiency, and although the cell may live and reproduce, it has difficulty functioning normally In time, the increasing numbers of such mutated cells may produce abnormal effects in the structure and function of the tissues and organs of which these cells are parts.
 

It also makes a difference whether a mutation occurs in a body cell of an adult or in a cell that is part of a developing embryo. In an adult, the mutant cell might not be noticed because there are many normally functioning cells around it In the embryo, however, the affected cell might be the ancestor of great numbers of cells that are forming the body of a child. In fact, all the cells of the child's body could be defective if the mutation were present in the fertilized egg.