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The secret life of gene products: How do they influence our health and disease?
Gene product refers to the biochemical substance produced by gene expression, whether it is RNA or protein. These gene products play vital roles in our bodies and directly affect our health and the development of diseases. As genetic research deepens, scientists have gradually discovered the connection between abnormal gene products and the occurrence of various diseases, especially in diseases such as cancer.
RNA productsA gene is defined as "the unit of inheritance required to produce a functional product."
RNA molecules are not just the coding material for proteins; they also have other important functions in cells. Depending on its classification, RNA can help synthesize proteins, catalyze chemical reactions and regulate a variety of biological processes. For example, transfer RNA (tRNA) helps incorporate the correct amino acids into polypeptide chains, while ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a major component of protein synthesis.
Another class of functional RNAs are microRNAs (miRNAs), which regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation. miRNAs prevent protein synthesis by binding to complementary mRNA sequences.
Protein productsProteins are the products of genes and are translated through mature mRNA. In biochemistry, protein structure can be divided into four levels: primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure and quaternary structure. The primary structure refers to the linear sequence of amino acids, which is stabilized by hydrogen bonding to form secondary structures such as α-helices or β-folds.
Proteins have many different functions, and their functions can vary depending on the polypeptides they interact with and their cellular environment.
In cells, certain proteins, such as chaperones, help stabilize newly synthesized proteins and ensure that they fold correctly, thus avoiding irreversible aggregation. In addition, proteins can act as enzymes, accelerating various biochemical reactions and converting substrates into products.
Genetic Code
In 1941, American geneticist George Beadle and biochemist Edward Tatum proposed that genes control specific biochemical reactions and that the function of an organism depends on an integrated system of chemical reactions controlled by genes. This theory eventually led to the "one gene-one enzyme" hypothesis.
Biddle noted in a review article ten years later that the number of believers in the original "one gene-one enzyme" hypothesis had dwindled significantly, but by the early 1960s, the base sequence of genes in DNA regulated the amino acid sequence of proteins. The concept has been established.
For example, experiments by Crick, Brenner, Barnett, and Watts-Tobin in 1961 demonstrated that each amino acid in a protein is encoded by a sequence of three bases in DNA, called a codon. As this series of studies increased, the specific codon assignments for various amino acids were determined.
SummaryGene products play an indispensable role in our lives, whether promoting normal physiological functions or causing the occurrence of diseases. As science advances, we are gaining a deeper understanding of how the products of our genes influence our health and disease. How will exploration of this area affect future medical technology and disease treatments?
