Edit the gene that codes the shield protein. Watch the mRNA translate in real time, and classify what your edit does to the protein.
The shield protein is intact. Each mutation may leave it silent, weaken it, or break it entirely.
Genes are read three bases at a time. Each codon specifies one amino acid; the chain of amino acids folds into a protein. Change the code and you may change the protein.
Silent: the new codon still codes the same amino acid, no effect. Missense: a different amino acid is inserted, the protein may weaken. Nonsense: a premature stop codon truncates the protein, usually severe.
Inserting or deleting a base that isn’t a multiple of three shifts the reading frame, scrambling every codon downstream, the most disruptive edit of all.
You’ve induced every class of mutation and read its effect on the shield protein, silent, missense, nonsense and frameshift.