What type of mutation changes the reading frame of an RNA molecule?

A mutation that changes the reading frame of an RNA molecule is specifically known as a frameshift mutation. This type of mutation occurs when nucleotides are added or removed from the DNA sequence in numbers that are not multiples of three. As a result, the entire downstream sequence is altered, potentially leading to a completely different translation and significantly affecting the resulting protein.

In the context of the provided choices, a change-frame mutation aptly describes this alteration because it emphasizes the impact on the reading frame whereby subsequent codons are misread, leading to the production of abnormal or nonfunctional proteins. The terminology is critical, as it highlights the nature of the mutation quite succinctly.

Point mutations, on the other hand, involve a change in a single nucleotide, which may result in a silent mutation, where the amino acid sequence remains unchanged, or a missense mutation that alters one amino acid. Neither of these changes necessarily affects the overall reading frame.

Deletion mutations can also change the reading frame if they involve the removal of nucleotides that are not in multiples of three, but not all deletions will lead to a frameshift. Therefore, while both frameshift and deletion may lead to similar outcomes, the term 'change-frame mutation' is more precise for describing mutations