The genes, or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), in bacterial and eukaryotic cells are transcribed into ribonucleic acid (RNA). Messenger RNA (mRNA) serves as a template for the translation of amino acid building blocks into proteins. This flow of genetic information from the gene through RNA to the protein has been called the central dogma of molecular biology. The discovery of processes that change the informational content of RNA (RNA editing) came as a considerable surprise to molecular biologists.