What type of mutation is characterized by a change that does not alter the amino acid sequence?

A silent mutation is characterized by a change in the DNA sequence that does not alter the amino acid sequence of the resulting protein. This typically occurs because of the redundancy in the genetic code, where multiple codons can encode the same amino acid. For example, if a change in the DNA results in a different codon that still specifies the same amino acid due to this redundancy, the protein's structure and function remain unchanged.

In contrast, a nonsense mutation introduces a stop codon prematurely, truncating the protein. A missense mutation results in a different amino acid being incorporated into the protein sequence, potentially affecting its function. An insertion mutation involves the addition of one or more nucleotide pairs in the DNA sequence, typically shifting the reading frame of the codons and altering the entire amino acid sequence downstream. Thus, the silent mutation stands out as the type that maintains the original protein structure and function despite the underlying genetic alteration.