Genes and the human genome project

Each species has its own internal and external characteristics, which are determined by the information stored and supplied by the DNA in the nuclei of its cells. The information is carried in the form of a code based on the consecutive sequences of bases found in sections of the DNA structure. This code controls the production of the peptides and proteins required by the body. The sequence 

The complete set of genes that contain all the hereditary information of a particular species is called a genome. The Human Genome Project, initiated in 1990, has identified all the genes that occur in humans and also the sequence of bases in these genes. 

Ribonucleic acids are found in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In the cytoplasm RNA is located mainly in small spherical organelles known as ribosomes, which consist of about 65% RNA and 35% protein. 

All types of RNA are formed from DNA by a process known as transcription, which occurs in the nucleus. It is thought that the DNA unwinds and the RNA molecule is formed in the 5 to 3 direction. It proceeds smoothly with the 3 end of the new strand bonding to the 5 end of the next nucleotide (Fig. 1.34). This 

---