A. To carry out these functions, DNA sequences must be converted into messages that can be used to produce proteins, which are the complex molecules that do most of the work in our bodies. Each DNA sequence that contains instructions to make a protein is known as a gene.
B. To package DNA inside the nucleus, cells wrap their DNA strands around scaffolding proteins to form a coiled condensed structure called chromatin. Chromatin is further folded into higher orders of structure that form the characteristic shape of chromosomes.
C. During mitosis, a cell duplicates all of its contents, including its chromosomes, and splits to form two identical daughter cells. ... Meiosis also allows genetic variation through a process of DNA shuffling while the cells are dividing.