Dec 05, 2022

Why synonymous mutations are not always silent

New modeling shows how synonymous mutations — those that change the DNA sequence of a gene but not the sequence of the encoded protein — can still impact protein production and function.

New modeling shows how synonymous mutations that change the DNA sequence of a gene, but not the sequence of the encoded protein can impact protein production and function by changing the rate of protein synthesis. Top: illustration of a new class of protein misfolding called a non-covalent lasso entanglement that can result from changes to the rate of protein synthesis caused by synonymous mutations. Bottom: structure of a protein showing its native state and misfolded state with non-covalent lasso entanglement. Credit: Yang Jiang, Penn State. All Rights Reserved.