Molecular Biology Practice Test: RNA Processing — Flashcards

RNA Processing topics include: RNA processing, coding and non coding RNA, ribosomal processing, eukaryotic messenger, introns removal from rna by splicing,alternative splicing forms and mRNA degradation.

RNA processing is a series of events that transforms a primary transcript from a gene into its mature form. 

In eukaryotes, RNA processing occurs in three steps:
5' capping: The first processing event that occurs before translation. This process involves adding a 7-methylguanosine cap to the 5' end of the primary transcript.
Polyadenylation: This process involves adding a string of adenine nucleotides, known as the poly-A tail, to the 3' end of the pre-mRNA.
Splicing: This process removes the non-coding sequences of genes (introns) from pre-mRNA and joins the protein-coding sequences (exons) together. 

RNA editing is another important mechanism of genetic regulation that allows the production of alternative protein products from a single gene.