Читать книгу Neurobiology For Dummies - Frank Amthor - Страница 45

Genetics is the study of genes and how they control inheritance. We can typically see the results of inheritance in the features of offspring, which has received genes from each of its parents. Genes are sequences of nucleotides (see “Greeting chromosomes and genes,” a bit later on for more) located on chromosomes in the cell’s nucleus. Genes specify the production of amino acid sequences. (Amino acids are the constituent units that make up proteins.)

Long before genes were known to be located on chromosomes composed of DNA, science had worked out some basic principles of inheritance, such as dominant and recessive traits. The upcoming sections explore these concepts in more detail.