How Do Synonymous Codons Affect Genetic Mutations?
Synonymous codons play a crucial role in genetic mutations, particularly in what are known as silent mutations. A silent mutation occurs when a change in the nucleotide sequence of a codon does not alter the amino acid it encodes. For example, the codons GAA and GAG both encode for the amino acid glutamic acid. A mutation from GAA to GAG would be considered synonymous and thus "silent" because it does not change the protein's primary structure.
