Somatic mutations occur in non-reproductive cells after conception and can lead to medical problems, including cancer. They cannot be inherited and can be caused by toxins, radiation, or random errors in cell division.
A somatic mutation is a genetic mutation that occurs in a somatic cell after conception. These mutations can lead to a variety of medical problems, and laymen commonly associate them specifically with cancers. Somatic mutations can be identified by examining the genetic material in a dubious cell and comparing it to a cell elsewhere in the body; the DNA in the two cells will be different, despite the fact that it shouldn’t be.
There are two types of cells: somatic cells and germ cells. The germ cells ultimately give rise to the gametes, while the somatic cells give rise to everything else. If a somatic mutation occurs in utero, all cells that descend from the somatic cell will carry the mutation. This results in a situation called genetic mosaicism, where some of the cells in someone’s body have different DNA from other cells.
A somatic mutation in utero can lead to problems such as birth defects, with the damaged cell passing on the damaged DNA to its descendants and causing malformations. In other cases, someone can remain with mosaicism, but without external problems. After birth, a somatic mutation can lead to the development of cancer if growth regulators in the cell are damaged, causing the cell to replicate out of control, creating new cells that will do the same.
Somatic mutations cannot be inherited because they do not involve germ cells. This type of mutation is sometimes called an “acquired mutation,” referring to the fact that it is not the result of inheriting a mutation from a parent. For example, a woman who develops breast cancer will not pass breast cancer on to her child. However, the risk of a somatic mutation may be increased by the presence or absence of certain inherited genes, meaning that children of a woman with breast cancer may be at increased risk and may be tested to find out if the genes are linked with breast cancer are present in their DNA.
Somatic mutations can occur for a variety of reasons. Some appear to be the result of exposure to toxins or radiation that interferes with the cell division process. Others are spontaneous, occurring as a result of a random error in the cell division process. Given the length of the genome, occasional errors occur in individual cells, and indeed the body is coded to destroy somatic cells that have mutated, although this is not always successful.
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