Final answer:
The statement is True, as genes code for specific polypeptide chains, and proteins may be composed of multiple such chains. A single gene is responsible for one polypeptide, and the proteins they help form are crucial for cell functions and physical traits.
Step-by-step explanation:
A gene is indeed a segment of DNA that contains the necessary information for a cell to synthesize a specific protein. Each gene carries the code for making a specific polypeptide chain, which may link with others to form a functional protein. While a single gene codes for one polypeptide, proteins can be made up of multiple polypeptide chains, each specified by individual genes. The process begins with transcription, where the DNA's nucleotide sequence is copied into mRNA, which then serves as the template for polypeptide synthesis during translation.
The genetic code is understood through a series of three-letter sequences called codons, each specifying a particular amino acid. This sequence determines the types of proteins synthesized, which in turn influence the cell's functions and the organism's physical traits. Gene expression is critical since it dictates which proteins are produced based on the cell's needs and environmental conditions, hence influencing the phenotype, which is the array of observable characteristics of an organism.
Proteins are fundamental in orchestrating cell functions and thus, they are responsible for many of the traits exhibited by multicellular organisms. This is because genes are the blueprint for amino acid sequences in proteins, determining the structure and function of each protein synthesized by the cell.
Therefore, the statement that a gene is a piece of DNA that contains the information necessary for the cell to make one protein is True, although it should be clarified that genes code for polypeptide chains which may come together to form proteins.