Chemical mutagens can interact directly with DNA, leading to mutations. Some common chemical mutagens include alkylating agents, base analogs, and intercalating agents. - Alkylating agents: These chemicals add alkyl groups to DNA bases, causing mispairing during DNA replication. - Base analogs: These are molecules that resemble DNA bases and can be incorporated into DNA, leading to incorrect base pairing. - Intercalating agents: These molecules insert themselves between DNA bases, causing frameshift mutations during DNA replication.
