Pre-mRNA processing reaches back to transcription and ahead to translation.

The pathway from gene activation in the nucleus to mRNA translation and decay at specific locations in the cytoplasm is both streamlined and highly interconnected. This review discusses how pre-mRNA processing, including 5' cap addition, splicing, and polyadenylation, contributes to both the efficiency and fidelity of gene expression. The connections of pre-mRNA processing to upstream events in transcription and downstream events, including translation and mRNA decay, are elaborate, extensive, and remarkably interwoven.