Both strands of the DNA double helix contain nitrogenous bases held together by hydrogen bonds. In DNA, the sequence of nitrogenous bases varies widely. What is the significance of the nitrogenous bases?

A. They determine the amino acids in the proteins synthesized.
B. They prevent mutations from occurring in the process of DNA replication
C. They help complete the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA molecules.
D. The amount of adenine and cytosine determines the length of the gene on a DNA molecule.

Essentially, in the process of protein synthesis, there is first transcription where mRNA is synthesized off of a DNA strand with complementary nitrogenous bases. After processing occurs (in basic terms the mRNA is literally processed) and the mRNA strand leaves the nucleus, it attaches to a large and small ribosomal subunit (a ribosome) where translation occurs. The gist of it is when the mRNA strand is being read by the ribosome. tRNA will come over and bind temporarily bringing with it a specific amino acid, starting the formation of the polypeptide/amino acid chain. Nitrogenous bases play into this as the sequence of the nitrogenous bases is what determines what tRNA will bind onto it which determines which amino acid is brought. More specifically, this deals with the codons of the mRNA and the corresponding anticodons with the tRNA, which is a bit of a more specific topic.