Silent Mutation

A silent mutation is a change in the DNA sequence of a gene that does not affect the function or form (phenotype) of the resulting protein. Unlike other mutations, silent mutations do not directly impact the fitness of the organism carrying them as they do not alter the phenotype. Such mutations are only discovered by DNA sequencing and may accumulate over generations, potentially affecting the evolution of a species. Silent mutations can be used for positive health outcomes such as identifying individuals at risk for genetic diseases, determining the diversity among populations, and helping to identify genetic weak links associated with diseases. They can also play an important role in personalized medicine and in the development of genetic therapies.