- In genetics, a mutant is any organism, cell, or virus that has undergone a mutation—a change in its DNA sequence that differs from the wild-type (normal) version.
- Mutants can arise naturally or be induced by researchers in laboratory settings to study the effects of genetic alterations.
- Mutations can affect a single base pair or large sections of chromosomes, leading to changes in gene expression, function, or phenotype (observable traits).
