Spliceosome

Definition

A spliceosome is a complex assembly of RNA and protein molecules that excises introns from a transcribed pre-mRNA (messenger RNA) sequence. This process, known as splicing, is essential for the generation of mature, functional mRNA which then directs protein synthesis.

Related terms

Introns:

Non-coding sequences within a gene that are removed during RNA processing.

Exons:

Coding sequences in DNA or RNA that contain information for protein synthesis and are joined together after intron removal.

mRNA (messenger RNA): A type of RNA that conveys genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where it specifies the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression