Which processes does DNA enable in organisms?

Which processes does DNA enable in organisms?

• A. Cellular replication, organismal growth, and development
• B. Protein synthesis
• C. Energy production and maintenance
• D. Transport of nutrients across membranes

Answer: (C)

DNA stores the instructions for making the proteins that run a cell’s life. Those proteins include the enzymes that power energy-producing pathways—glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain—along with the proteins needed to maintain membranes, structure, repair systems, and overall cellular upkeep. Because gene expression translates DNA into these essential enzymes, the genetic information in DNA directly enables how a cell produces energy and maintains itself. While protein synthesis is indeed driven by DNA, the most fundamental, continuous role of DNA is to provide the machinery for energy production and maintenance that all organisms rely on to stay alive.

DNA stores the instructions for making the proteins that run a cell’s life. Those proteins include the enzymes that power energy-producing pathways—glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain—along with the proteins needed to maintain membranes, structure, repair systems, and overall cellular upkeep. Because gene expression translates DNA into these essential enzymes, the genetic information in DNA directly enables how a cell produces energy and maintains itself. While protein synthesis is indeed driven by DNA, the most fundamental, continuous role of DNA is to provide the machinery for energy production and maintenance that all organisms rely on to stay alive.