Frameshift mutations arise when the normal sequence of codons is disrupted by the insertion or deletion of one or more nucleotides, provided that the number of nucleotides added or removed is not a multiple of three.
A frameshift mutation (also called a framing error or a reading frame shift) is a genetic mutation caused by indels (insertions or deletions) of a number of nucleotides in a DNA sequence that is not divisible by three.
Insertion frameshift mutation, wherein one or more nucleotides are added to the base sequence of the nucleic acid, which results in the change in the reading frame. The severity of this type of frameshift mutation is dependent on the number of nucleotides and the position of insertion of nucleotides.
A frameshift mutation occurs when the aforementioned "addition" or "deletion" mutations result in a change to the gene's reading frame, which includes groups of three bases that encode for an amino acid.
frameshift mutations occur when there is an addition or deletion of the original sequence. When a base is added or deleted it changes the reading frame of the ribosome thus changing the the protein from that mutation on. The DNA polymerase can proofread each base it adds at the time it adds it during DNA replication.
A frameshift variant occurs when there is an addition or loss of nucleotides that shifts the grouping and changes the code for all downstream amino acids. The resulting protein is usually nonfunctional. Insertions, deletions, and duplications can all be frameshift variants.
Mutations can result from errors in DNA replication during cell division, exposure to mutagens or a viral infection. Germline mutations (that occur in eggs and sperm) can be passed on to offspring, while somatic mutations (that occur in body cells) are not passed on.