# A scientist is studying how cells in the human pancreas produce insulin, a protein hormone. Explain how the genetic information stored in a gene is used to produce a protein such as insulin.

> OCR A-Level Biology B — Advancing Biology (H422) — 5.1 Genetic control of protein synthesis · Explain · 5 marks

> Insulin is a protein hormone produced by specialised cells in the pancreas. It is essential for controlling blood glucose levels. Like all proteins, insulin is made following instructions encoded in DNA.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. A gene is a section of DNA that codes for a specific amino acid sequence
2. The DNA / gene is in the nucleus
3. mRNA is made as a copy of the gene / mRNA carries the genetic information from the nucleus to the ribosomes
4. Amino acids are joined together at the ribosomes
5. The sequence of amino acids determines the structure / shape of the protein (insulin)

## Key terms

- [gene](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/gene)

## Related

- [Revision notes for OCR A-Level Biology B — Advancing Biology (H422)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-scientist-is-studying-how-cells-3c582e30) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.