Proteins are the basic building blocks of your body. The parts of your body such as your muscles, your skin, and your organs are made up mostly of proteins. DNA provides the plans, or instructions, for how each protein should be made. If there is a change in your DNA, there may be a change in how a protein is made. Sometimes these changes can lead to disease. To make a protein, the cells in your body take the DNA and make a copy called RNA. The cells read the RNA to make the protein. DNA can be thought of as the original master plan with RNA being photocopies of this plan. The number of copies of RNA can determine the amount of protein that can be made. If the body needs more protein, it can make more RNA but if it needs less protein, it can also shred the RNA so that it cannot be read. The amount of a particular RNA or protein can also be important in how the body works. Too much or too little of a particular protein can also lead to disease. Understanding the relationship between DNA, RNA and proteins can be important in knowing what causes disease and how to treat it.