Define mutagen. Describe the effect of mutagens on the mutation rate.
Define mutagen. Describe the effect of mutagens on the mutation rate.
Mutagen is an agent in the environment that brings about mutation. If a mutagen is present, it will usually increase the spontaneous rate of mutation, which is approximately 1 in 106 replicated genes, by a factor of 10-1000 times. This is a 1 to 3 order of magnitude increase, meaning a mutation rate of 10-6 becomes 10-5 or possibly 10-3.
Comments
Post a Comment