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

At what level of the organization of the living there are gene mutations and what are the true causes of this process?

Gene mutations are a process of modification.DNA structures. 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 basis of this process is the change inDNA structure, as well as amino acids contained in RNA. Such violations can be expressed in the insertion, loss, replacement of any nucleotide sequence. What is the level of gene mutations? Many scientists have tried to get a reliable answer to this question. And as a result of the mass of research, it was concluded at what level of organization of the living gene mutations occur - at the molecular level.

The term "mutation" originates from the first half of the 20th century. The scientist Hugo de Vries formulated this concept, explaining on the basis of the laws of Mendel.

Highlights in mutation evolution

At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to his experimental data, biologist Hugo de Vries 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, can be passed from generation to generation.
3. They do not form groups and continuous rows.
4. They can have a different manifestation nature: negative, neutral or positive, and are able to act both in dominant traits and in recessive traits.
5. The establishment of a possible mutation depends on the number of samples analyzed.
6. Same mutations may repeat in time.
7. Any part of the chromosome can undergo mutations.

The main causes of mutations

As mentioned above, it is on the molecularat the level of organization of the living, gene mutations occur. This has been proven thanks to experimental data obtained over several centuries. Many scientists spent a lot of time to establish causes of gene mutations. Among such changes are the following:

• 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 temperatures, 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.

Levels of organization live

There are seven main levels of live organization:

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

Let's look at the main characteristicmolecular level, which is the most initial in the organization stages 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 the organization of living, 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 viral organisms.

The problems of mutation in modern science

To date, scientists have analyzedeach of the laws of Mendel. They concluded that there are special changes that accumulate with each succeeding generation. But besides them, minor ones were also established, which received the name of the faces.

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

People have learned how to changecharacteristics of the molecular level, which led to the emergence of spontaneous mutations and, as a result, to the pathological diseases of mankind. Also to the negative factors of this process can be attributed to the change in the environment, since they affect the correct order of genes.

Mutations among people

You can bring a lot of cases of sequence changes in the genes among humanity. Here are examples of gene mutations:

• Early aging of the body.This disease is called "progeria". Due to the wrong 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 today is not treatable.
• People with Younes Tang syndrome who move only on all fours. These patients are mentally retarded and barely speak.
• Patients with the so-called werewolf syndrome - excessive vegetation develops on their body, especially on the face, ears and neck.
• Affection of the immune system is innate.disease, and patients with this disease live for a short time, since their immunity is almost zero, and the body is a target for many harmful microorganisms.
• Patients with Marfan syndrome - this mutation leads to the development of disproportionate limb sizes in humans. Very often, these people have problems with the spine.
• People suffering from a strong sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation.
• Patients with Liu-Bar syndrome (affects the nervous system and immunity, children are born mentally retarded, the risk of cancer increases).

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

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