Gene

• A segment of DNA that contains instructions for making a protein.

Protein

• A molecule built from amino acids that carries out specific tasks in cells — including building structures, transporting signals, or acting as enzymes.

mRNA (messenger RNA)

• A copy of a gene that the cell uses as instructions to build a protein.

Transcription

• The process of making mRNA from DNA.

Translation

• The process of building a protein from amino acids, based on mRNA instructions.

Mutation

• A change in the DNA sequence that may affect how a gene works.