DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
Term used in genetics. Spontaneous mutations are genetic changes that occur without external influence or human intervention. They occur randomly during the natural reproduction process of cells or organisms and can be caused by errors in DNA replication or by environmental influences such as UV radiation. Spontaneous mutations can have positive, negative or neutral effects on a living organism and play an important role in evolution as they increase genetic diversity within a population.
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For example, ultraviolet (UV) light induces specific mutations in the cell and skin genome, such as UV signature and triplet mutations, the mechanism of which is thought to be related to translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) via UV-induced DNA base damage (Ikehata H et al. 2011).
Furthermore, there is growing evidence that urbanization is associated with higher mutation rates, which may affect the health and evolution of people living in cities (Johnson MTJ et al. 2024). Elevated levels of pollutants in urban areas can cause DNA damage leading to de novo mutations. Studies on mutations induced by urban pollution are mostly found in humans and microorganisms, while studies on non-human eukaryotes are rare, although increased mutation rates have the potential to affect organisms and their populations in modern times (Johnson MTJ et al. 2024).
