Messenger RNA editing and the genetic code.

Messenger RNA editing is defined as a process leading to predetermined modifications of the coding region of a primary gene transcript. By this definition, splicing processes are special forms of editing; however, they are not dealt with in this review. Editing processes different from splicing have been defined in mammalian cells, in RNA viruses, and in mitochondria of trypanosomes, higher plants and vertebrates. These post- or co-transcriptional processes involve addition, deletion, or modification-substitution of nucleotides, and represent previously unrecognized mechanisms for altering the coding potential of a gene and for modulating gene expression.