Abstract: RNA transcribed from the genome in the nucleus bears little resemblance to the RNA polymer it will ultimately become in the cytoplasm where it is translated into protein. Well-known processes such as capping, splicing and polyadenylation, as well as the recently discovered and ever-expanding list of diverse chemical modifications and editing, significantly alter the properties and fates of a given RNA during the course of its lifetime. These alterations regulate critical aspects of RNA function such as stability, transport, protein binding, and translation.