| Characteristic | Prokaryotes | Eukaryotes |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription and translation occurrence | At the same time in the cytoplasm | Transcription in the nucleus, then translation in the cytoplasm |
| Gene structure | DNA sequence is read in the same order as the amino acid sequence | Noncoding introns within coding sequence |
| Modification of mRNA after initial transcription but before translation | Usually none | Introns spliced out; 5′ end cap and 3′ poly A tail added |