Proteins are made by ribosomes with the sequence of amino acids controlled by the sequence of bases contained within DNA
DNA cannot travel out of the nucleus to the ribosomes (it is far too big to pass through a nuclear pore) so the base code of each gene is transcribed onto an RNA molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA).
mRNA then moves out of the nucleus and attaches to a ribosome
The ribosome ‘reads’ the code on the mRNA in groups of three
Each triplet of bases codes for a specific amino acid
In this way the ribosome translates the sequence of bases into a sequence of amino acids that make up a protein
Once the amino acid chain has been assembled, it is released from the ribosome so it can fold and form the final structure of the protein
The triplet code of DNA (carried by mRNA) is read by the ribosome and amino acids are attached together in a specific sequence to form the protein
In this way, DNA controls cell function by controlling the production of proteins
The proteins may be enzymes, antibodies, or receptors for neurotransmitters
Although all body cells in an organism contain the same genes, many genes in a particular cell are not expressed because the cell only makes the specific proteins it needs