A nonsense mutation is a type of point mutation that occurs in DNA when a sequence change gives rise to a stop codon instead of a codon specifying an amino acid. This results in the production of a shortened protein that is likely non-functional. Nonsense mutations occur when a premature stop codon is introduced in the DNA sequence, which causes the protein to terminate or end its translation earlier than expected. These mutations can be neutral, meaning they do not positively or negatively affect the organism, or they can cause a range of genetic diseases or disorders since they prevent the successful completion of the translation process of some functionally vital proteins. Most nonsense mutations result in nonfunctional proteins.