Which type of mutation could potentially lead to a completely different protein being produced?

A frameshift mutation is a type of mutation that occurs when nucleotides are inserted or deleted from the DNA sequence, causing a shift in the reading frame of the genetic code. This shift alters the grouping of codons, which can lead to a completely different sequence of amino acids being produced during translation. As a result, a frameshift mutation can drastically change the function of the resulting protein or lead to a premature stop codon, potentially producing a truncated protein that may be nonfunctional.

Nonsynonymous mutations can also lead to a different protein being produced; however, they specifically refer to single nucleotide changes that alter the amino acid sequence but do not necessarily involve a shift in the reading frame like frameshift mutations do. While point mutations encompass a wide range of changes, they include synonymous mutations, which do not change the amino acid sequence at all. Thus, frameshift mutations have a more significant effect on protein structure and function due to their nature of altering the entire downstream sequence.