A genetic mutation can cause a change in the sequence of the 20 amino acids used to build proteins. Such a change is a change to the protein's
A) primary structure only.
B) secondary structure only.
C) tertiary structure only.
D) primary structure, but this will likely alter higher levels of structure as well.
E) quaternary structure only.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A change in the sequence of amino acids will affect the primary structure of the protein. However, as the primary structure determines the arrangement of amino acids in the protein, it will likely affect the higher levels of structure including secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures. Therefore, the correct answer is D, as changing the primary structure will likely alter the protein's higher levels of structure.

A Genetic Mutation Can Cause a Change in the Sequence