RNA splicing facts for kids

RNA splicing is a super important step in how our bodies make proteins. Think of it like editing a movie!

First, our DNA has all the instructions, like a big script. When a cell needs to make a specific protein, it makes a copy of just that part of the DNA. This copy is called messenger RNA (mRNA). But this first copy, called "pre-mRNA," isn't quite ready.

Imagine the DNA script has useful parts (called exons) and "junk" parts that don't have instructions for the protein (called introns). RNA splicing is the process where the cell cuts out all the junk introns and then glues the useful exons back together. This creates the final, correct mRNA.

This finished mRNA then travels to another part of the cell where its instructions are read to build the right protein. Without splicing, our cells wouldn't be able to make many of the proteins they need to work properly!

Making Different Proteins

Sometimes, cells can use the same pre-mRNA script to make different versions of a protein. This cool trick is called alternative splicing. It's like having one big recipe, but you can choose to skip or add certain ingredients to make a slightly different dish.

For example, a cell might decide to skip one exon or include an extra one. This changes the final mRNA, which then leads to a slightly different protein being made. This allows our bodies to get a lot of different proteins from a smaller number of genes.

Who Does Splicing?

Splicing happens in almost all living things, but it's much more common and complex in eukaryotes. Eukaryotes are living things whose cells have a nucleus, like animals, plants, and fungi. They splice many of their protein-making mRNAs.

On the other hand, prokaryotes, which are simpler organisms like bacteria, rarely do splicing. Also, eukaryotes use a special "machine" called a spliceosome to do the splicing, but prokaryotes don't have these machines.

How Splicing Was Found

The discovery of splicing was a big deal in science! Two scientists, Phillip Allen Sharp and Richard Roberts, won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for figuring it out.

In 1977, their research showed that the genes in more complex organisms (like us!) are "split." This means the useful parts (exons) are separated by non-coding DNA (introns). They found that these introns are cut out of the pre-mRNA in a process Sharp called "splicing." This "split gene" idea turned out to be very common in most eukaryotic genes.

Images for kids

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  How RNA splicing works

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  A simple drawing showing exons and introns in pre-mRNA

See also

In Spanish: Empalme de ARN para niños