. How is it possible that mRNA synthesis occurs at a greater rate in bacterial cells than any other class, yet very little mRNA is present within the cell?

We begin our detailed study of transcription by looking at the synthesis and processing of mRNAs, the molecules that make up the transcriptome and which specify the protein content of the cell. As the central players in genome expression, mRNAs have received the greatest attention from researchers and we now have a detailed picture of how they are produced. Events in bacteria are different in many respects from those in eukaryotes and so we will deal with the two types of organism in different sections. One aspect of eukaryotic mRNA processing - intron splicing - is so important that it requires a section of its own.