Fiveable
Fiveable

Exons

Definition

Exons are the sections of DNA that are transcribed into mRNA and then translated into proteins. They contain the actual genetic information coding for protein synthesis.

Analogy

Think of exons as the chapters in a book that tell the main story. The rest (introns) can be considered as advertisements or blank pages, which don't contribute to the main plot but are part of the whole book.

Related terms

Introns: These are non-coding regions of DNA within a gene; they are transcribed into RNA but not translated into protein.

Coding Sequence: This is a sequence of codons in DNA or RNA, which results in a particular amino acid sequence when translated.

Gene Expression: This is the process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize a functional gene product (like proteins).

"Exons" appears in:

collegeable - rocket pep

Are you a college student?

  • Study guides for the entire semester

  • 200k practice questions

  • Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab



© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.