Which mutation type typically leads to significant changes in protein function and can result in genetic diseases?

Significant changes in protein function due to mutations typically encompass a variety of mechanisms, and all forms of mutations listed can lead to such outcomes.

Deletions involve the loss of nucleotide sequences from DNA, which can disrupt the reading frame of the gene. This disruption may result in a completely nonfunctional protein or a protein with altered activity, and such changes are often associated with genetic diseases.

Nonsense mutations introduce a premature stop codon into the protein-coding sequence. This leads to truncated proteins that are often nonfunctional and can severely affect cellular processes, potentially leading to genetic disorders.

Point mutations, which are changes in a single nucleotide, can also significantly impact protein function. Depending on whether they are silent (no change), missense (changes one amino acid), or nonsense (creates a stop codon), point mutations can result in varying effects on protein structure and function, potentially leading to disease.

Since all of these mutation types can contribute to significant changes in protein function and are implicated in various genetic diseases, the correct answer encompasses all these mutation types together.