Exon

Definition

An exon is a segment of a DNA or RNA molecule containing information coding for a protein or peptide sequence. These sequences are kept and expressed in the final mature mRNA after the non-coding regions (introns) have been removed during RNA splicing.

Related terms

Introns:

Introns are non-coding sequences of DNA or RNA that are removed from the precursor mRNA during RNA splicing to produce mature mRNA.

RNA Splicing: RNA splicing is a process where introns are removed and exons are joined together, resulting in a continuous sequence that codes for a protein.

Messenger RNA (mRNA): Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule that carries genetic code from DNA in the nucleus to ribosomes in the cytoplasm, where protein synthesis occurs