intron / introns

In some genes, not all of the DNA sequence is used to make protein. Introns are noncoding sections of an RNA transcript, or the DNA encoding it, that are spliced out before the RNA molecule is translated into a protein. The sections of DNA (or RNA) that code for proteins are called exons. Following transcription, new, immature strands of messenger RNA, called pre-mRNA, may contain both introns and exons. The pre-mRNA molecule thus goes through a modification process in the nucleus called splicing during which the noncoding introns are cut out and only the coding exons remain. Splicing produces a mature messenger RNA molecule that is then translated into a protein. Introns are also referred to as intervening sequences.