Question

What are the steps (in the correct order) that link a change in the base sequence of a gene to a change in the phenotype of an organism like a mouse or a human? see section 16.2 (page 339) ?

Answer 1

The answer is DNA to RNA to protein. The change in DNA sequence will be reflected (through complementary base pairing) on the formed Messenger RNA during transcription. Subsequently, during translation of the mRNA to protein (by ribosomes), the amino acid sequence will change due to changes in the codons. Proteins, as you may know, are what determines the phenotype of organisms while DNA determines the genotype of the same organism.