Protein Modification, Folding, Secretion, and Degradation

Eukaryotic pre-mRNA receives a 5' cap and a 3' poly (A) tail before introns are removed and the mRNA is considered ready for translation.

Denaturation is a process in which proteins lose their shape and, therefore, their function because of changes in pH or temperature.

In order to function, proteins must fold into the correct three-dimensional shape, and be targeted to the correct part of the cell.

A cell can rapidly change the levels of proteins in response to the environment by adding specific chemical groups to alter gene regulation.