The segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain, or in producing a micro-RNA. It includes regions preceding and following the coding region (leader and trailer) as well as intervening sequences (introns) between individual coding segments (exons).

More than one protein can be expressed (made) from a given gene (i.e., the particular protein expressed is determined by factors such as:

• the cell's temperature or other environmental variable, which can trigger alternative splicing,
• the presence of STATs (some of which themselves are proteins),
• other factors.

INFORMATIONAL MOLECULES,  DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA),  RIBONUCLEIC ACID (RNA),  GENE EXPRESSION,  CHROMOSOMES,  EXPRESS,  MESSENGER RNA (mRNA),  CODON,  INTRON,  EXON,  CODING SEQUENCE,  GENE EXPRESSION CASCADE,  CENTRAL DOGMA (NEW),  SIGNAL TRANSDUCERS AND ACTIVATORS OF TRANSCRIPTION (STATs),  MICRO-RNAs,  ALTERNATIVE SPLICING,  miRNA GENES