What is the ultimate product of a gene?

What is the ultimate product of a gene?

• A. Carbohydrate
• B. Lipid
• C. Nucleic acid
• D. Protein

Answer: (D)

Genes contain the instructions for making molecules that perform cellular work. In most cases, those instructions are first transcribed into messenger RNA and then translated into a polypeptide that folds into a functional protein. Proteins are the workhorses of the cell—enzymes, structural components, transport molecules, and signaling players—so they’re the typical ultimate product of a gene. There are some genes that code for RNA molecules with direct roles, but the common focus in introductory biology is that the final product is a protein. This reflects how information flows from DNA to RNA to protein.

Genes contain the instructions for making molecules that perform cellular work. In most cases, those instructions are first transcribed into messenger RNA and then translated into a polypeptide that folds into a functional protein. Proteins are the workhorses of the cell—enzymes, structural components, transport molecules, and signaling players—so they’re the typical ultimate product of a gene. There are some genes that code for RNA molecules with direct roles, but the common focus in introductory biology is that the final product is a protein. This reflects how information flows from DNA to RNA to protein.