Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Post-transcriptional regulation refers to control mechanisms that occur after an RNA molecule has been produced (transcribed) but before it is translated into protein. It can affect how often or when an RNA molecule is translated into protein.
This process allows one gene to produce different forms of mRNA, leading to different proteins being produced from one gene.
RNA Editing: A molecular process through which some cells can make discrete changes to specific nucleotide sequences within an RNA molecule after it has been generated by RNA polymerase.
mRNA Stability: Refers to lifespan or half-life of mRNA molecules in cells, which can be regulated as a means to control gene expression.