The central dogma of molecular biology describes how information stored in the genetic code becomes a protein capable of doing work within the cell. DNA can be replicated to make another copy. DNA can also be transcribed into RNA which can then be translated into a protein. Replication, transcription, and translation are all different processes with specific cellular machinery involved. In order to understand these complex processes it is important to understand the differences between DNA, RNA, and protein.
It is important to understand that mutations in a gene can lead to changes in protein function (due to changes in the shape or activity of the protein) and this can then lead to problems within cells.
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