Hereditary information is encoded in the chemical language of DNA and reproduced in all the cells of our body. It is the DNA program that directs the development of our biochemical, anatomical, physiological, and, to some extent, behavioral traits. The modern study of genetics at the level of DNA is known as molecular genetics.
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology to elucidate molecular function and interactions among genes.
Along with determining the pattern of descendants, molecular genetics helps in understanding genetic mutations that can cause certain types of diseases. Through utilizing the methods of genetics and molecular biology, molecular genetics discovers the reasons why traits are carried on and how and why some may mutate.
Thus, Molecular genetics is the study of the agents that pass information from generation to generation. These molecules, our genes, are long polymers of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. Just four chemical building blocks – guanine (G), adenine (A), thymine (T), and cytosine (C) – are placed in a unique order to code for all of the genes in all living organisms.