Which mutation moves a section of DNA to a new location within the genome?

Which mutation moves a section of DNA to a new location within the genome?

• A. Insertion
• B. Translocation
• C. Inversion
• D. Deletion

Answer: (B)

Moving a section of DNA to a new location within the genome is described by translocation. This can happen within the same chromosome or between different chromosomes and usually arises from misrepair of breaks in DNA, causing a segment to relocate. Translocations can disrupt genes at the breakpoints or create new fusion genes with different functions, which is why they’re clinically important—think of how certain cancers involve fusion genes formed by translocations. In contrast, an insertion adds material at a site but doesn’t necessarily describe moving an existing segment from its original position; an inversion flips a segment’s orientation in place without changing its location, and a deletion removes a segment entirely. A classic example is a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes that creates a fusion gene like BCR-ABL in certain leukemias.

Moving a section of DNA to a new location within the genome is described by translocation. This can happen within the same chromosome or between different chromosomes and usually arises from misrepair of breaks in DNA, causing a segment to relocate. Translocations can disrupt genes at the breakpoints or create new fusion genes with different functions, which is why they’re clinically important—think of how certain cancers involve fusion genes formed by translocations. In contrast, an insertion adds material at a site but doesn’t necessarily describe moving an existing segment from its original position; an inversion flips a segment’s orientation in place without changing its location, and a deletion removes a segment entirely. A classic example is a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes that creates a fusion gene like BCR-ABL in certain leukemias.