Skin color is often one of the first traits people notice in each other. Studies in zebrafish uncovered a mutation that altered a transport protein and resulted in light-colored fish. This discovery led to the finding that the same gene in humans has a strong influence on skin pigmentation in many populations. The zebrafish mutation that reduced coloration created a null allele of the transport protein gene. Which of the following types of mutation would be most likely to create this null allele? a. a missense mutation b. a frameshift mutation c. a neutral mutation d. a silent mutation

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the type of mutation that would most likely result in a null allele. A null allele typically results in a nonfunctional protein due to the gene mutation.
2. Understand the different types of mutations listed: missense mutation (changes one amino acid in the protein), frameshift mutation (insertion or deletion of nucleotides that shifts the reading frame), neutral mutation (does not affect protein function), and silent mutation (does not change the amino acid sequence).
3. Analyze which mutation could lead to a complete loss of function in the protein. Frameshift mutations often result in a completely different and nonfunctional protein because they change the way the codons are read, which usually alters the entire amino acid sequence downstream of the mutation.
4. Compare the impact of the other mutations: Missense might only change one amino acid and might not completely disrupt protein function; neutral and silent mutations do not affect the protein function at all.
5. Conclude that the mutation type that is most likely to create a null allele, which results in a nonfunctional protein, is the frameshift mutation.