Understanding Transversion Mutations in Molecular Biology

Transversion is a term used in molecular biology to describe a type of mutation that involves the substitution of one nucleotide for another, but not at the same position on the DNA or RNA molecule. In other words, a transversion mutation involves a change in the base pairing rules, but not a change in the number of base pairs.

For example, if a C-G base pair is replaced by an A-T base pair, this would be considered a transversion mutation, because the number of base pairs remains the same (2), but the base pairing rules have changed. In contrast, a transition mutation would involve the substitution of one nucleotide for another at the same position on the molecule, such as G-C being replaced by T-A.

Transversion mutations can have significant effects on the function and stability of proteins, and are often associated with changes in the structure and function of the protein. They can also be more difficult to repair than transition mutations, because they involve a change in the base pairing rules that can affect the stability of the DNA or RNA molecule.