However some mutations do result in an abnormal protein. In some situations the protein is normal enough to function but not well, but in other cases the protein may be totally disabled. The outcome of a particular mutation depends on how it alters the proteins function and how vital the protein is to survival. Gene mutations can be a hereditary mutation, meaning inherited from a parent, where the mutation is present in almost all of the body's cells. Or a gene mutation may be an acquired mutation .
Acquired mutations are changes in DNA that develop throughout a persons life.
These arise in the DNA of individual cells. These mutations are often the result of errors that occur during cell division when the cell is making a copy of itself and dividing in two. Acquired mutations may also be the result of environmental factors such as radiation or toxins. Mutations occur all the time, but cells have the ability to recognize mistakes and fix them before it passes it on to its descendent cells. But the repair system can fail or become less efficient with age.