gene

n. A basic unit of heredity, which is composed of a promoter region which controls the action of a gene and a coding sequence which can act as a template to form RNA, which in turn serves as a template to produce proteins, which are the building blocks of the body. Genes control the form of the body by controlling which proteins are produced and where and when and how many are produced. The proteins from some genes determine some bodily characteristics, but more often a combination of genes control the characteristics of the body in interaction with the environment.