Decoding mechanisms by which silent codon changes influence protein biogenesis and function

Synonymous mutations may affect multiple steps of the gene expression process leading to altered phenotype. The primary mechanisms are highlighted with rectangles: incorrect mRNP formation and pre-mRNA processing, mRNA secondary structure alterations, mRNA decay, and altered translation dynamics. CBC: cap binding complex, CDC miRNA: coding sequence binding miRNA, ERAD: endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation, RNase: ribonuclease.