How do genes actually work?
Genes work by telling your cells which proteins to make, and proteins do almost all the real work of keeping you alive.
When a cell needs a particular protein, it reads the matching gene and uses those instructions to assemble the protein from building blocks. Proteins then do the work — digesting food, carrying oxygen, building tissue, fighting infection.
So a gene rarely 'does' something directly. It is more like a manager handing out instructions, while proteins are the workers who carry them out.
Last reviewed 29 May 2026 · reviewed by someone with genetics training