Here's a breakdown:
* Genes contain the instructions for building proteins.
* Exons are the coding regions of a gene that are translated into protein.
* Introns are the non-coding regions of a gene that are removed before translation.
Why are introns removed?
Introns are essentially "filler" DNA that doesn't code for protein. They are removed during a process called splicing. Splicing ensures that only the exons are joined together to form the final mRNA molecule that will be translated into protein.
Note: There are also other non-coding regions in the genome besides introns, such as promoters and regulatory sequences that control gene expression.
Let me know if you have more questions!