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Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Gene Expression and Regulation

mRNA

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

abbreviationCore term

In genetics & biotechnology, mRNA means: Messenger RNA: the RNA copy of a gene that carries its instructions from the DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes, where the protein is made.

In Turkish: mRNA, mesajcı RNA, haberci RNA

How it is used

Used in gene expression studies, where mRNA levels are measured by qPCR or RNA-seq, and in medicine since mRNA vaccines became widely known. Say 'em-ar-en-ay'. In eukaryotes, mature mRNA has a 5′ cap and a poly(A) tail, and its introns have been removed.

Example sentences

  1. The mRNA levels of the gene doubled after treatment.

  2. mRNA vaccines give cells the instructions to make a viral protein.

Common collocations

  • mRNA levels
  • mRNA expression
  • mRNA vaccine
  • mature mRNA
  • mRNA stability
  • RNARibonucleic acid: a usually single-stranded molecule, similar to DNA, that carries genetic information or helps make proteins. It uses the base uracil (U) instead of thymine (T).
  • transcriptionThe first step of gene expression, in which an enzyme called RNA polymerase copies the DNA sequence of a gene into a matching RNA molecule.
  • translationThe process in which ribosomes read the codons of an mRNA molecule and join amino acids together in the right order to build a protein.
  • codonA sequence of three bases in DNA or mRNA that codes for one amino acid or signals the start or end of protein building.
  • exonA part of a gene that stays in the mature mRNA after splicing; most exons contain sequence that codes for the protein.

More terms: Gene Expression and Regulation

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