Gene
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Genes are heritable molecular information that ultimately determine the traits possessed by any organism. The gene is a subunits or "reading frames" of information on long strands of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) called chromosomes. Humans have 46 chromosomes, which range from 1.7 to 8.5cm in length and contains about 1000 genes each.
Genes are basically a short stretches of DNA along the length of a chromosome that are identified by specific sequences of nucleotides that designate the beginning and ending point of each gene. The nucleotides ATG signals the beginning of a gene, and either TAA, TAG, or TGA signal the end.
Gene Expression
- Main Article: Gene Expression
These gene is coded molecular information that provides the cell with instructions on how to make specific proteins. The code is specified by the sequence or linear arrangement of the 4 different nucleotides that make-up DNA. An organelle in the cell called a ribosome reads this coded instruction and translates it into a sequence of amino acids that are used to make a protein. This process is known as gene expression.
DNA is composed of 4 different nucleotides, typically abbreviated with the letters (ATP, CTP, GTP, TTP) or simply (A,C,G,T). The order of these nucleotides within a gene specifies the order of amino acids in a protein. The process where the genetic instruction is used to make proteins is called gene expression.
Examples of gene codons and the amino acid they represent:
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Typically the products of several genes are assembled to make a functional protein. Likewise a single gene can be involved with the production of several different proteins.
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