What molecular mechanism/feature does site-directed mutagenesis exploit to introduce a mutation at a specific site?
A) flanking complementary bound nucleotides permit non-complementary base pairing
B) methylated nucleotides disrupt DNA polymeraseʹs proofreading
C) nucleotide substitution when one is depleted
D) transposase-induced base pair changes

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Site-directed mutagenesis exploits flanking complementary bound nucleotides to permit non-complementary base pairing, allowing for the targeted introduction of a mutation at a specific site. This is typically achieved using engineered oligonucleotides containing the desired mutation, which can hybridize to the complementary strand and form a mismatched base pair at the site of interest. This mismatch can then be repaired by cellular DNA repair machinery, resulting in a permanent mutation at the targeted site.

What Molecular Mechanism/feature Does Site-Directed Mutagenesis Exploit to Introduce a Mutation