Required for pre-mRNA splicing as component of the spliceosome. Core component of the splicing-dependent multiprotein exon junction complex (EJC) deposited at splice junctions on mRNAs. The EJC is a dynamic structure consisting of core proteins and several peripheral nuclear and cytoplasmic associated factors that join the complex only transiently either during EJC assembly or during subsequent mRNA metabolism. The EJC marks the position of the exon-exon junction in the mature mRNA for the gene expression machinery and the core components remain bound to spliced mRNAs throughout all stages of mRNA metabolism thereby influencing downstream processes including nuclear mRNA export, subcellular mRNA localization, translation efficiency and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Its removal from cytoplasmic mRNAs requires translation initiation from EJC-bearing spliced mRNAs. Associates preferentially with mRNAs produced by splicing. Does not interact with pre-mRNAs, introns, or mRNAs produced from intronless cDNAs. Associates with both nuclear mRNAs and newly exported cytoplasmic mRNAs 