State that the sequence of bases in a gene determines the sequence of amino acids used to make a specific protein (knowledge of the details of nucleotide structure is not required)

The sequence of bases in a gene directly determines the sequence of amino acids that are used to synthesize a specific protein.

Key Points

• Genetic Code: Each group of three nucleotide bases (codon) in the DNA sequence corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis.
• Protein Synthesis: During the process of transcription, the gene’s DNA sequence is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA). This mRNA then undergoes translation, where ribosomes read the sequence of codons and assemble the corresponding amino acids in the correct order to form a protein.