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

At what level of the organization of the living, do gene mutations occur and what are the real causes of this process?

Gene mutations are a process of modificationstructure of DNA. And to date, there are a lot of undisclosed reasons for this process and many scientists are trying to obtain a mutated gene in their laboratories. What are the true causes of this phenomenon and what can it lead to? Further in this article, we will try to answer these questions.

The concept of gene mutation

This process is based on changes in thestructure 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 tried to get a reliable answer to this question. And as a result of the mass of research, a conclusion was drawn, at what level of the organization of living genes mutations occur - on the molecular.

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

The main points in the evolution of the mutation

At the beginning of the 20th century, 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 can arise unexpectedly.
2. They are hereditary in nature, they can be passed on from generation to generation.
3. They are not going to groups and continuous ranks.
4. They can have a different nature of manifestation: negative, neutral or positive and are able to act both in dominant characters and in recessive ones.
5. The determination of a possible mutation depends on the number of samples analyzed.
6. Identical mutations can repeat themselves after a while.
7. Mutation is capable of undergoing any part of the chromosome.

The main causes of mutations

As mentioned above, it is on the molecularthe level of organization of the living, gene mutations occur. This is proved by experimental data obtained over several centuries. Many scientists have spent a considerable amount of time causes of gene mutations. Among such changes, we can distinguish the following:

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

Levels of organization of living

There are seven basic levels of organization of the living:

• cellular;
• molecular;
• fabric;
• organ;
• organismic;
• popular-species;
• biogeocenosis;
• biosphere.

Let's look at the main characteristicmolecular level, which is the most basic in the stages of organizing all life on Earth. Each organism consists of such substances 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 viral organisms.

The problems of mutation in modern science

To date, scientists have analyzedeach of Mendel's laws. They concluded that there are special changes that accrue with each next generation. But apart from them, there are also insignificant ones, which were called personal ones.

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

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

Mutations among humans

It is possible to cite a lot of cases of changes in sequences in genes among mankind. Here are examples of gene mutations:

• Early aging of the body. This disease is called "progeria". Because of 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 for today does not lend itself to treatment.
• People with Unes Than syndrome who move only on all fours. These patients are mentally retarded in development and practically do not speak.
• Patients with the so-called werewolf syndrome - on their body develops excessive vegetation, especially on the face, ears and neck.
• The defeat of the immune system is an innatedisease, and patients with such a disease live for a short time, since their immunity is practically zero, and the body is targeted for many harmful microorganisms.
• Patients with Marfan syndrome - this mutation leads to the development of disproportionate sizes of the limbs in humans. Very often such people have problems with the spine.
• People with severe 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 the animals, we can identify mutations that lead to the birth of albinos. And among plants this change in the structure of the flower, a decrease or increase in fertility, and so on.

Unfortunately, for today almost alldiseases caused by a change in the sequence of genes 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 can arise spontaneously due to changes in environmental conditions. Therefore, for scientists remains a huge number of unsolved problems in this area.