How might an error in the DNA of an organism affect protein function? Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) transcription occurs at a rate of  around 1000x per second alone in a single-cell. Errors in these  processes are typically checked and corrected… by special enzymes.  However errors in DNA transcription can result in protein synthesis  with deleted amino acids which at best can be harmless. At worst,  the deletion (or defective synthesis) of proteins can create fatal  cancers through localized cell mutations.