point mutation

Definition of point mutation

: a gene mutation involving the substitution, addition, or deletion of a single nucleotide base

Examples of point mutation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Funding provided by the bike-a-thon has been put toward the development of 41 cancer drugs and the discovery of new medical techniques that can pin-point mutations that cause cancer, as well as other research efforts by the cancer center. — BostonGlobe.com, "It’s the latest record set by the cancer center’s most generous donor: the Pan-Mass Challenge.," 20 Oct. 2019 But preliminary research by Navin and collaborators suggests that point mutations — changes to individual DNA letters — accumulate more slowly. — Quanta Magazine, "Tracking the Evolution of Cancer, Cell by Cell," 13 Nov. 2013 This flaw is especially problematic because tens of thousands of genetic diseases are results of such point mutations. — The Economist, "BiotechnologyGene editing takes another step forward," 26 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'point mutation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about point mutation

Dictionary Entries near point mutation

point of accumulation

point of addition

Statistics for point mutation

Cite this Entry

“Point mutation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/point%20mutation. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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