Which statements correctly describe mutations in gametes and mutations in somatic cells?

Mutations to somatic cells will be inherited by an organism's offspring.

Mutations to gametes can be passed on to an organism's offspring.

Mutations to somatic cells are only present in the type of cell in which the mutation occurred.

Mutations to gametes are more likely to be beneficial than mutations to somatic cells.

Mutations to gametes do not involve changes in the DNA.

Mutations to somatic cells are transferred to daughter cells.

Select all that Apply

A mutation is a rare, accidental or induced modification of genetic information (DNA or RNA sequence) in the genome.

The consequences of a mutation vary according to the part of the genome affected. A mutation is said to be hereditary if the mutated genetic sequence is passed on to the next generation.

In multicellular animals, germline mutations can be transmitted to offspring, whereas somatic mutations do.

Somatic mutations do not affect cells intended for reproduction, so they are never hereditary:

* Post-zygotic mutations are the mutations that appear in the egg after fertilization. They are rarer and are expressed as mosaic in the individual concerned (the mutation will be present only in the daughter cells originating from the mutated embryonic cell).

* Mutations can appear throughout life on the DNA of any cell; they are then transmitted to the line of the daughter cells. These can, in some cases, become tumor cells and then form cancer.