key term - Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Definition

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that acts as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins. It differs from DNA by having a single-strand structure and uracil instead of thymine.

Related terms

Transcription:

The process by which the information in a strand of DNA is copied into a new molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA).

Messenger RNA (mRNA): A type of RNA that conveys genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where they specify the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression.

Translation:

The process in which cellular ribosomes create proteins, guided by the sequences of codons in messenger RNA