Effective of genetic variant on phenotypes

• DNA is important as it allows new proteins to be synthesized
• Mutations in the DNA can have serious implications
• The structure of DNA is important in synthesizing specific proteins needed in biological processes
• Not all parts of the DNA code for proteins
• There is a coding and non-coding part of DNA which can switch genes on and off
• Variations in these areas may affect gene expression and protein synthesis
• In different cells around the body, genes will be switched on and others will be switched off
• This varies depending on which cells are examined