Intron

Definition

Introns are non-coding sections of an RNA transcript, or the DNA encoding it, that are removed before the RNA molecule is translated into a protein. During protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells, introns are spliced out of the pre-mRNA to produce the mature mRNA which will be used in translation.

Related terms

Exon: Exons are portions of an RNA transcript, or the DNA encoding it, that remain in the RNA after intron removal and code for parts of proteins.

Splicing: Splicing is the process by which introns are removed from a pre-mRNA transcript and exons are joined together to form a mature mRNA molecule.

mRNA (messenger RNA): mRNA is a single-stranded RNA molecule that conveys genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where it specifies the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression