Post-transcriptional modification

Post-transcriptional modification is a chemical or structural change to RNA after transcription, including processing that produces mature, functional RNA.

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RNA splicing: The removal of introns and joining of exons in a precursor RNA molecule. Splicing converts many precursor transcripts into mature RNA by removing intervening sequences.
Transcription: The synthesis of RNA from a DNA template by RNA polymerase. It produces the RNA molecules that can later undergo post-transcriptional change.
Alternative splicing: The production of different RNA isoforms from one precursor by selecting different exon combinations. It makes splicing a source of protein diversity rather than only transcript cleanup.
Transcriptional regulation: Control of the rate or timing of RNA synthesis from DNA. It changes RNA production before transcripts exist, rather than modifying RNA afterward.
5′ cap: A modified guanine nucleotide attached to the 5′ end of most eukaryotic messenger RNAs. Capping is an early chemical modification that protects mRNA and supports translation.
Pre-mRNA: A newly transcribed eukaryotic messenger RNA precursor that has not completed processing. Pre-mRNA is the substrate for several major processing steps.
Nonsense-mediated decay: A cellular pathway that detects and degrades many messenger RNAs containing premature stop codons. Splicing patterns can mark transcripts for this quality-control pathway.
Post-translational modification: A chemical or structural change to a protein after its synthesis. It acts on proteins, whereas post-transcriptional modification acts on RNA.
Polyadenylation: The enzymatic addition of a polyadenine tail to the 3′ end of an RNA molecule. This processing step helps determine mRNA stability, export, and translation.
Messenger RNA: An RNA molecule that carries protein-coding information from DNA to ribosomes. Its maturation commonly includes capping, splicing, and addition of a poly(A) tail.