Which of the following is correct regarding the mutation rate of genomic DNA in different organisms?
A) Human cells have a much higher mutation rate compared to bacteria when the rate is normalized to a single round of replication over the same length of DNA.
B) Mutation rates limit the number of essential genes in an organism's genome.
C) Mutations in the somatic cells cannot be lethal.
D) Even if the mutation rate was 10 times higher than its current value, germ-cell stability in humans would not have been affected.
E) All of the above.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mutation rate per nucleotide pair per replication cycle in humans is similar to that of Escherichia coli, and both are extremely low, less than one in a billion. Nevertheless, current mutation rates are thought to limit the number of essential genes in an organism to about 30,000. The stability of the germ-line genome depends on mutation rates, as does somatic-cell stability. Cancers typically arise from somatic mutations.

Which of the Following Is Correct Regarding the Mutation Rate