{"id":75343,"date":"2022-08-14T20:44:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T00:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=75343"},"modified":"2022-08-23T14:24:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T18:24:05","slug":"how-do-genes-code-for-proteins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-genes-code-for-proteins\/","title":{"rendered":"Biology 101: How Do Genes Code for Proteins?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How do genes code for proteins? What is the process by which DNA directs the synthesis of proteins?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;genes&nbsp;in&nbsp;DNA&nbsp;contain instructions for building the proteins which carry out all the functions necessary for life.&nbsp;The process in which DNA creates functional proteins is intricate and involves many different enzymes (proteins that aid chemical reactions). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s how genes create proteins, explained in simple terms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-genes-create-proteins\"><strong>How Genes Create Proteins<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How do genes code for proteins? The process can be described in two broad steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Transcription. <\/strong>Enzymes read the DNA \u201cblueprint\u201d and create a matching RNA molecule of the genes to be translated into proteins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: This step is crucial because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.khanacademy.org\/science\/ap-biology\/gene-expression-and-regulation\/transcription-and-rna-processing\/a\/overview-of-transcription\">only a small part of your genome gets transcribed into RNA at a time<\/a>. If your cells read your DNA directly and made proteins based on that, they could end up trying to create an entire genome\u2019s worth of proteins at once.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Translation. <\/strong>Other enzymes read instructions encoded in the RNA molecule, retrieve the needed <em>amino acids<\/em> (simple organic compounds that make up proteins) from the blood, and assemble them into proteins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: There are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk\/education\/AminoAcid\/the_twenty.html\">a total of 20 amino acids<\/a> that, when put together in various combinations and shapes, create countless proteins. Of those 20, nine are considered <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/002222.htm\">essential amino acids<\/a> because our bodies can\u2019t produce them. In other words, they\u2019re <em>essential <\/em>parts of our diet, because the only way we can get those amino acids is by breaking down proteins from other organisms that produce them. Perhaps the best-known essential amino acid is <em>tryptophan<\/em>, which is found in turkey (among other sources), and is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visiblebody.com\/blog\/does-tryptophan-make-me-sleepy-a-look-at-an-amino-acid-with-a-bad-rap\">supposedly responsible for the post-Thanksgiving drowsiness<\/a> many people experience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>What Do Proteins Do?<\/strong><br><br>The proteins produced from our genetic instructions do <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/genetics\/understanding\/howgeneswork\/protein\/\">an enormous range of tasks<\/a>. While scientists aren\u2019t sure exactly how many are at work in the human body, some estimates say we have <a href=\"https:\/\/bio.libretexts.org\/Bookshelves\/Cell_and_Molecular_Biology\/Book%3A_Basic_Cell_and_Molecular_Biology_(Bergtrom)\/03%3A_Details_of_Protein_Structure\/3.07%3A_Proteins_Genes_and_Evolution-_How_Many_Proteins_are_We\">over 100,000 different proteins<\/a> carrying out various functions.<br><br>Some of the largest categories of proteins include:<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Antibodies. <\/strong>Antibodies are crucial to the immune system; they bind to pathogens and mark, trap, or destroy them.<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Enzymes.<\/strong> Enzymes help the body carry out biochemical processes like digestion.<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Structural proteins. <\/strong>Proteins help shape and support every part of the body, from bones to muscles to skin.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do genes code for proteins? What is the process by which DNA directs the synthesis of proteins? The&nbsp;genes&nbsp;in&nbsp;DNA&nbsp;contain instructions for building the proteins which carry out all the functions necessary for life.&nbsp;The process in which DNA creates functional proteins is intricate and involves many different enzymes (proteins that aid chemical reactions). Here&#8217;s how genes create proteins, explained in simple terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":23931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[715],"class_list":["post-75343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-the-gene","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Biology 101: How Do Genes Code for Proteins? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The process in which DNA creates functional proteins is intricate and involves many different enzymes. Here&#039;s how genes code for proteins.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-genes-code-for-proteins\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Biology 101: How Do Genes Code for Proteins?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The process in which DNA creates functional proteins is intricate and involves many different enzymes. 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