What are the general properties of genes?

Genes are segments of DNA that can code for biologically active products, which can be passed on to future generations through replication, and can direct the synthesis of various proteins required for life activities through transcription and translation. These biologically active products are mainly proteins and RNA.

From this, we can find that genes have the following three basic characteristics:

1. Replication: DNA can be synthesized by using itself as a template to form two identical molecules of DNA, which ensures that the genetic information of the parent generation is stably inherited by the offspring. RNA can also be passed from one generation to the next through the process of replication (synthesizing RNA as a template) or reverse transcription (synthesizing DNA as a template).

2. Determine the phenotype. Genes change the order of bases in genes into the order of amino acids in proteins through the processes of transcription and translation, which determines the functions of various proteins and manifests various traits (phenotypes).

3. Mutation. Mutation is an abnormal change in one or several nucleotides in the gene molecule. Mutation is the molecular basis of biological evolution, cell differentiation, is a natural phenomenon. However, some mutations can also cause a variety of human diseases.