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Does mutation occur in only one cell?

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A mutation is any change in the DNA of a cell. This “change” is often switch of one nucleotide, say a T to a G, A, or C anywhere along the string of 3.1 billion of these “genetic letters.” This little changes are called “single nucleotide polymorphisms” or SNPs. read more

If the mutation occurs in a somatic (body) cell, say from UV light striking living skin cells, the result could set that cell, and all its daughter cells, on the road to a nasty cancer like melanoma. As we know, one hallmark of cancer is growth and spreading (metastasis). read more

Acquired (or somatic) mutations occur at some time during a person’s life and are present only in certain cells, not in every cell in the body. These changes can be caused by environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation from the sun, or can occur if an error is made as DNA copies itself during cell division. read more

If a mutation occurs in one of the progenitor cells, all of its daughter cells will also express the mutation. For this reason, somatic mutations generally appear as a sector on the mutated individual. Cancer tumors are a unique class of somatic mutations. The tumor arises when a gene involved in cell division, a protooncogene, is mutated. All of the daughter cells contain this mutation. read more

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