Nonsense, missense, silent, and frameshift mutations are point mutations. The point mutations are the change in a single nucleotide base on the DNA molecule. In a missense mutation, the change in a single nucleotide base results in a codon coding for a different amino acid. In a nonsense mutation, the change in a single nucleotide results in a stop codon or in a nonsense codon. Frameshift mutation, due to addition or deletion of a base, results in the change of reading frame and totally different translation. In all these cases, the change could lead to different of nonfunctional protein translation. Silent mutation, on the other, means that change in a nucleotide base will no affect amino acid. It will result in a different codon, but the one that code for the same amino acid, so the same protein will be produced.
