What are introns in the context of eukaryotic genes?

In eukaryotic genes, introns are recognized as non-coding regions that are transcribed into precursor mRNA but are subsequently removed during RNA processing before translation occurs. This process is known as splicing, where introns are cut out, and the remaining coding sequences, known as exons, are joined together to form the mature mRNA that will ultimately be translated into a protein.

Understanding the function of introns is vital, as they can play a role in regulating gene expression and may also be involved in alternative splicing, which allows a single gene to produce multiple protein variants. This contributes to the complexity and versatility of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Thus, the identification of introns as non-coding segments that are spliced out aligns with our understanding of eukaryotic transcription and mRNA processing.