Genetics: What is a gene?

The idea of genes as beads on a DNA string is fast fading. Protein-coding sequences have no clear beginning or end and RNA is a key part of the information package, reports Helen Pearson.Genes wilderThe genetic code ‘cracked’,protein synthesis ‘solved’ and complete genomes sequenced: surely we now know what a gene is and what it does. That may be true for those safely outside the field. But for geneticists close to the action, the concept of a gene is getting very complicated indeed.