Genes
A gene is a section of the DNA molecule that is coded through its sequence for one specific protein. The human's genome has about 20,000 to 25,000 genes. 7 Our genes are coded with the information to make all the needed proteins that carry out the functions of the cells in our body. The sequence of the nucleotides, or base pairs, on each gene, determines the code to make a specific protein. When the code is translated or read, the sequence of nucleotides tells the ribosome to make a specific protein. Proteins are polymers of amino acids, which are coupled in sequence. One way to think of this is that the four bases, A, T, G, and C, are the letters in the DNA language. These letters are always bundled in groups of three, called codons or words. Each bundle, or word, ACT, CAT, GTA, AAT, represent a specific amino acid. For instance, the three nucleotides or codon, CAT, will specify the amino acid, histidine, when it is synthesized in the ribosome. Each word is read and then translated in the ribosome to make a sequence of amino acids. It is the sequence of the amino acids that build, or synthesize, a specific protein. In summary, a gene carries the code for an amino acid in its sequence of bundled bases called a codon. The genes in the DNA molecule go through a process of transcription and are then translated into the proteins they represent. In this way, the genetic information held on the structure of DNA is able to carry out the expression of its design.
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