What is the difference between DNA and genes? What is responsible for copying the genes and making RNA?
In: Biology
DNA is the medium, gene is the content. Like… DNA is ink and genes are the words that the ink spells. The gene is made of DNA, and there is more DNA outside of the words, because you spilled your inkpot and a lot of the ink on your page is meaningless.
RNA is made from a gene by something called the RNA Polymerase Complex. This is a huge group of proteins that finds the gene, attaches itself to the DNA and then chugs along it, creating an RNA strand by reading the gene and matching complementary RNA bases to it. When it gets to the end of the gene, the whole complex falls apart and the RNA chain is released.
DNA is a very long string of 4 different molecules, abreviated A, C, G and T (they are called “bases”). The order of these molecules works like a code. A gene is a specific kind of sequence in DNA that can be copied and used by the cell as a blueprint for making proteins.
The bases are the letters, DNA is the whole text, genes are specific instructions written in this text.
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