Nonencoded

Nonencoded is an adjective used in various fields to describe something that has not been encoded according to a particular scheme. It is not a widely standardized technical term in any single discipline, and its precise meaning depends on context.

In genetics and genomics, nonencoded commonly refers to portions of the genome or transcriptional output that do not encode proteins. The best-known related concept is noncoding DNA, which comprises introns, intergenic regions, and regulatory elements. While noncoding, these sequences can be transcribed into noncoding RNAs or play regulatory roles in gene expression. In this sense, features that are 'nonencoded' are not translated into proteins, though they may have functional significance.

In computing and information science, nonencoded data describes information that has not undergone a formal encoding process for transmission or storage. This contrasts with encoded, compressed, encrypted, or otherwise transformed data. Plaintext, raw sensor measurements, or uncompressed media can be described as nonencoded relative to a particular encoding system.

In biochemistry and pharmacology, some products or processes may be described as nonencoded when they are not directly specified by a gene sequence. For example, nonribosomal peptides are synthesized by enzymes rather than ribosomes and are not encoded by a contiguous gene in the simple sense, though their biosynthetic gene clusters control their production.

Because of its ambiguity, most literature will prefer terms such as noncoding, unencoded, or plaintext to convey the intended meaning more clearly.