defined: |
![](/peth04/20041016050101im_/http://genome.gov/Images/spacer2.gif) |
The region of a gene that contains the code for producing the gene's protein. Each exon codes for a specific portion of the complete protein. In some species (including humans), a gene's exons are separated by long regions of DNA (called introns or sometimes "junk DNA") that have no apparent function.
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