RNA splicing

RNA splicing is a crucial process in eukaryotic cells where noncoding regions, called introns, are removed from a transcribed RNA molecule, and the coding regions, known as exons, are joined together. This occurs after RNA is transcribed from DNA by RNA polymerase.1

In eukaryotic genes, coding sequences (exons) are often separated by noncoding sequences (introns). Following transcription, these introns must be removed, and the exons rejoined to create a functional messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule. This process, called RNA splicing, is carried out by a complex molecular machine known as a spliceosome, which is composed of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) containing snRNAs.1

The discovery of RNA splicing was made independently by Richard J. Roberts and Phillip A. Sharp, earning them the Nobel Prize in 1993. Interestingly, some RNA molecules, called ribozymes, can also exhibit enzymatic activity, including self-splicing, as discovered by Thomas Cech and Sidney Altman, who shared the Nobel Prize in 1989. This suggests that RNA may have played a central role in early life, both storing genetic information and catalyzing reactions.12