frameshift

F4R1A1M3E1S1H4I1F4T1

noun

A frameshift mutation.

UncommonScrabble 21

Meanings

nounframeshift (countable and uncountable, plural frameshifts)

plural frameshifts

  1. countableuncountableA frameshift mutation.
verbframeshift (third-person singular simple present frameshifts, present participle frameshifting, simple past and past participle frameshifted)

present singular third person frameshifts · participle present frameshifting · participle past frameshifted · past frameshifted

  1. To use a starting point for translating a series of nucleotides that is off by an amount not divisible by three, resulting in an entirely distinct set of codons.

    Commonly, there are stimulatory signals in mRNA distinct from the shift site that greatly increase the level of frameshifting at the shift site.

    2003, Jacques Lapointe, Lea Brakier-Gigras, Translation Mechanisms, →ISBN, page 354
    2 more examples

    Considering these costs, it seems likely that mechanisms may exist to stop frameshifted translation as soon as possible, depending on the frequency of occurrence.

    2004, DNA and Cell Biology - Volume 23, page 702

    Ribosomal frameshifting at a particular site can yield two protein products from one coding sequence or one protein product from two overlapping open reading frames.

    2006, De-Shuang Huang, George William Irwin, Computational Intelligence and Bioinformatics, →ISBN

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

frameshift. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frameshift

MLA

“frameshift.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frameshift. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “frameshift,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frameshift.

Source: frameshift on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.