Genes and

Germinal and Somatic Mutations

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Types of Mutations

Complementation Testing

Genetic Topics

Germinal and Somatic Mutations

Eukaryotic organisms have two primary cell types --- germ and somatic. Mutations can occur in either cell type. If a gene is altered in a germ cell, the mutation is termed a germinal mutation. Because germ cells give rise to gametes, some gamete s will carry the mutation and it will be passed on to the next generation when the individual successfully mates. Typically germinal mutations are not expressed in the individual containing the mutation. The only instance in which it would be expressed is if it negatively (or positively) affected gamete production.

Somatic cells give rise to all non-germline tissues. Mutations in somatic cells are called somatic mutations. Because they do not occur in cells that give rise to gametes, the mutation is not passed along to the next generation by sexual means. To maintain this mutation, the individual containing the mutation must be cloned. Two example of somatic clones are navel oranges and red delicious apples. Horticulturists first observed the mutants. They then grafted mutant branches onto the stocks of "normal" trees. After the graft was established, cuttings from that original graft were grafted onto tree stocks. In this way the mutation was maintained and proliferated.

Most tissues are derived from a cell or a few progenitor cells. 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. The phenotype of all cells containing the mutation is un controlled cell division. This results in a tumor that is a collection of undifferentiated cells called tumor cells.

Copyright © 1999. Phillip McClean