Simplify the following text for a Grade 13 native English-speaking person.
Original: Gene regulation may also serve as a substrate for evolutionary change , since control of the timing , location , and amount of gene expression can have a profound effect on the functions ( actions ) of the gene in a cell or in a multicellular organism .
Simplified: Gene regulation may also serve as a basis for evolutionary change : control of the timing , location , and amount of gene expression can have a profound effect on the development of the organism .