frameshift

American  

[freym-shift] / ˈfreɪmˌʃɪft /

noun

Genetics.

1. the addition or deletion of one or more nucleotides in a strand of DNA, which shifts the codon triplets of the genetic code of messenger RNA and causes a misreading during translation, resulting in an aberrant protein and therefore a mutation.

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frameshift Scientific  

/ frām′shĭft′ /

1. Relating to a mutation that occurs when one or two nucleotides are added or deleted, with the result that every codon beyond the point of insertion or deletion is read incorrectly during translation.

2. See more at point mutation

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Etymology

Origin of frameshift

frame + shift

Compare meaning

How does frameshift compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• point mutation vs. frameshift

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frameshift

The ribosome occasionally skips forward by a letter or place, called a frameshift, to read: "The cat a tet hef atr."

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2023

It happened to have a type of mutation, known as a frameshift mutation, that was rare in coronavirus samples.

From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2022

The vaccine Vilar-Sanchez’s team will test is more ambitious: It consists of viruses modified to carry DNA for a whopping 209 frameshift neoantigens found in Lynch tumors.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 6, 2022

Insertions and deletions are also called frameshift mutations because they shift the “reading frame” of the genetic message.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2018

The reference set was used to select and annotate as pseudogenes those peptides that had large deletions, insertions, frameshift mutations, or premature stop codons.

From Nature ● Jul. 13, 2011