Your genes, which are sections of the DNA molecules, contain all the information necessary to make you what you are.

Each protein carries out a specific function that is determined by its DNA gene. But how is the genetic information in a DNA gene decoded so that a particular protein is made? As shown in the accompanying diagram “How Proteins Are Made,” the genetic information stored in the DNA must first be transferred from the nucleus of the cell into the cytoplasm, where the ribosomes, or protein-producing factories, are located. This transfer is accomplished by means of an intermediary called ribonucleic acid (RNA). The ribosomes in the cytoplasm “read” the RNA instructions and assemble the proper sequence of amino acids to form a particular protein. Thus, there exists an interdependent relationship between DNA, RNA, and the formation of proteins.