Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis

Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis

Since enzymes control the metabolic processes that enable cells to survive, the cells must possess information for producing these specialized proteins Such information is held in DNA molecules in the form of a genetic code. This code "instructs" cells how to synthesize specific protein molecules. Children resemble their parents because of inherited traits; but what is actually passed from parents to a child is genetic information. 

This information is received in the form of DNA molecules from the parents' sex cells, and as the of spring develops it is passed from cell to cell by mitosis. Genetic information "tells" the cells of the developing body how to constrict specific protein molecules, which in turn function as structural materials, enzymes, or other vital substances. The portion of a DNA molecule that contains the genetic information for making one kind of protein is called a gene. Thus, inherited traits are determined by the genes contained in the sex cells that fused to form the first cell of the body These genes instructed the cells to synthesize the particular enzymes needed to control metabolic pathways.