Splicing

Definition

Splicing is the process where introns (non-coding regions) are removed from pre-mRNA and exons (coding regions) are joined together to form mature mRNA ready for translation.

Analogy

Imagine you're editing a film. You have hours of footage (the pre-mRNA), but only some scenes make it to the final cut (the mature mRNA). Splicing is like your editing process, cutting out unnecessary scenes (introns) and keeping only those that drive forward your story (exons).

Related terms

Alternative Splicing: A regulated process during gene expression that results in a single gene coding for multiple proteins by selectively including or excluding certain exons.

Pre-mRNA: It's an immature single strand of messenger ribonucleic acid. Pre-mRNA is synthesized from a DNA template in the cell nucleus by transcription.

mRNA Processing: The modifications that a primary RNA transcript undergoes before it becomes mature mRNA.