I know that genes control what proteins get synthesized by cells, but how does that determine the overall structure of an organism?
In: Biology
This is a bit of a complicated question, but I’ll give it a go.
In terms of the overall physical structure of an organism, there are certain proteins inside the cells such as actin and myosin that give structure to the cells themselves. These are known as the cytoskeleton. There are also a lot of proteins like collagen and elastin that sit in the space between cells, the extracellular matrix, which give structure to the tissues and organs. Membranes made of phospholipids help to separate different tissues. For specialised structural tissues like bones, additional chemicals like calcium phosphate are deposited in the extracellular matrix to make them harder and more rigid, whereas for skin, hair and nails the cells fill themselves with a protein called keratin to form a tough protective layer.
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