2 DNA to protein

The flow of information from DNA to protein

The genetic information encoded within the DNA of a gene is carried via an intermediary molecule, RNA (ribonucleic acid), which is then used by the cell to make a protein (Figure 1).

There are two separate steps in this information flow:

• from DNA to RNA – a process called transcription
• from RNA to protein – a process called translation.

Figure 1 Schematic of the CYP2D6 gene being copied into RNA and then into protein © The Open University

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The diagram shows the flow of genetic information from gene to protein, via the steps of transcription and translation. Transcription is shown to occur from the CYP2D6 gene to the CYP2D6 mRNA. Translation is shown to occur from the CYP2D6 mRNA to the CYP2D6 protein.

Figure 1 Schematic of the CYP2D6 gene being copied into RNA and then into protein © The Open University