mRNA or messenger RNA, in molecular biology is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein. During transcription, RNA polymerase makes a copy of a gene from the DNA to mRNA as needed. This process is slightly different in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, including that prokaryotic RNA polymerase associates with DNA-processing enzymes during transcription so that processing can proceed during transcription. As in DNA, genetic information in mRNA is contained in the sequence of nucleotides, which are arranged into codons consisting of three base pairs each. Each codon codes for a specific amino acid, except the stop codons, which terminate protein synthesis. The translation of codons into amino acids requires two other types of RNA: transfer RNA, which recognizes the codon and provides the corresponding amino acid, and ribosomal RNA (rRNA), the central component of the ribosome's protein-manufacturing machinery.
2548 views · 9 hrs ago | Tag Type:
Keyword