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Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · DNA, Genes and Chromosomes

RNA

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

/ˌɑːr en ˈeɪ/abbreviationCore term

In genetics & biotechnology, RNA means: Ribonucleic 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).

In Turkish: RNA, ribonükleik asit

How it is used

Used in gene expression studies, virology and vaccine work. Common types are mRNA, tRNA, rRNA and small RNAs such as microRNA. RNA breaks down easily, so labs use RNase-free tubes and work on ice. People say 'isolate RNA', 'RNA quality' and 'RNA-seq'.

Example sentences

  1. Keep the RNA samples on ice and use filter tips.

  2. We converted the RNA into cDNA before running the qPCR.

Common collocations

  • isolate RNA
  • total RNA
  • RNA quality
  • RNA degradation
  • RNA-seq
  • DNADeoxyribonucleic acid: the long, double-stranded molecule that stores the genetic instructions of almost all living things, written in four chemical bases: A, T, G and C.
  • mRNAMessenger 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.
  • 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.
  • gene expressionThe process by which the information in a gene is used to make a product, usually a protein, and the level at which this happens in a cell.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: DNA, Genes and Chromosomes

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