The document summarizes the process by which DNA directs the synthesis of proteins via transcription and translation. It describes key experiments by Beadle and Tatum that supported the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis and established that genes dictate phenotypes by encoding enzymes. The flow of genetic information is outlined, with DNA being transcribed into mRNA which is then translated by ribosomes into polypeptides. Transcription and translation occur together in prokaryotes but are separated in eukaryotes. The genetic code is universal and encodes proteins using triplets of DNA or RNA nucleotides called codons.