Definition
A protein is the functional molecule that a gene ultimately codes for. It is a chain of amino acids, drawn from a set of twenty, strung together in an order dictated by the gene's sequence. Once assembled, the chain folds into a precise three-dimensional shape.
That shape is the point. Proteins are the cell's working parts — enzymes, receptors, hormones, structural scaffolding, ion channels. In Behave, proteins are where the abstract information of a gene becomes concrete biology: a receptor that binds testosterone, an enzyme that breaks down a neurotransmitter, a channel that lets a neuron fire.
Why it matters
How it works
After a gene is transcribed into messenger RNA, ribosomes translate that RNA: they read it three letters at a time, each triplet specifying one amino acid, and link the amino acids into a chain. The chain folds — driven by the chemistry of its sequence — into a shape with pockets and surfaces tailored to its job. A change in even one amino acid can reshape a protein and alter or abolish its function.