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AAT Bioquest

Does splicing occur in the cytoplasm?

Posted August 18, 2022


Answer

Splicing occurs in the cytoplasm only in prokaryotes, as they do not have a nucleus. Because mRNA splicing is a mechanism unique to eukaryotes, it rarely occurs in prokaryotes. If prokaryotic splicing does occur, it is usually found in non-coding RNA types such as tRNAs.

Additional resources

Cytoplasmic intron retention, function, splicing, and the sentinel RNA hypothesis

ReadiPrep™ Nuclear/Cytoplasmic Fractionation Kit

Nucleus