The role of DNA in Determining the Organism’s Traits
Introduction
In the recent past, a huge number of forensic police officers have been using and relying on DNA as one of their most vital parts of physical evidence when doing crime analysis with the aim of finding the individual who committed the crime. This process of DNA analysis falls under genetic profiling, whereby the genetic composition of an individual is established. There are four key things that play a role when it comes to genetic profiling. The four are the nature of the gene, the importance of locus (Hawes et al.). The role and importance of allele, as well as the role of mutation in all these cases, the role of the environment is key in ensuring the accuracy of the results is obtained. The mutation is one of the most complex things when it comes to a gene analysis. A gene is a strand of DNA. Each DNA has a tiny genetic code that is used to make proteins. It is the structure of the proteins made that determine a huge number of biological functions as well as the physical characteristics of an organism. Each DNA has nucleotides.
Every nucleotide is made up of deoxyribose sugar, phosphate as well as nitrogen base. There are four known nitrogen bases in DNA. The four nitrogen bases that are found in the individual’s bases are adenine, cytosine, guanine as well as thymine. The order of the nucleotides is what determines the gene that one has. These genes are usually translated and transcribed with the aim of forming proteins. The application of translocation and transcription falls under protein synthesis since the two forms the most critical part of protein synthesis. The manner in which the transcription of the genetic material or translocation of the genes is done is what influences the behavior of people. The transcription is key in the formation of the mRNA strand. A set of three nucleotides on any single mRNA is what is called a codon. It is during the translation that mRNA, rRNA, tRNA as well as amino acids usually come together in the formation of the protein strand.
Once the process of forming of the genes is done, there is what is mostly called the translocation of that gene. In most cases, the characteristic of the gene is determined by the alleles it has. Each gene has two alleles. An allele is a variant form of a gene. This is anchored on the understanding that a huge number of genes have different forms that are located at the same position. The idea of location when it comes to the manner the gene is to locate is what is called the gene locus. For human beings, each person has two alleles because of they all diploid in nature. There are two alleles at each genetic locus. Each child inherits one allele from each parent hence the reason the child will always have some phenotypic features where they resemble those of the parents.
Even though the process of forming the protein may be complex, it is clear that the role of the environment is key in influencing how things pun out. This is anchored on the understanding that due to exposure to the environment, the body will start adjusting to fit its new environment. The changes to the gene structure as a result of the environment, among other reasons, is what is called mutation (Petkovich et al.,). This is usually the case in monozygotic twins. If they were alike then one was raised up in a country like China and another one raised in the US or even Europe, there is a huge possibility that the two will adapt to their new environment in that the one in Asia will be included towards that even when the child was born in Africa. There are cases where the profile of the gene is change due to mutation as a result of the exposure to things such as ultraviolet light in the environment. So depending on where the child was raised even when they were identical with similar behavior at birth, after mutation, the gene sequence will change; hence they will not do things in the same way.
Conclusion
The physical traits that are displayed by an individual are true as a result of the things that happen to the DNA, which in this case may be influenced by the environment. It is clear that based on the alleles, the children have some features that they obtain from each of their parents. It may not be physically evident, but it may be present though in a different form.