messenger RNA

American  

noun

Genetics.

1. a single-stranded molecule of RNA that is synthesized in the nucleus from a DNA template and then enters the cytoplasm, where its genetic code specifies the amino acid sequence for protein synthesis. mRNA

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messenger RNA British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: mRNA.  biochem a form of RNA, transcribed from a single strand of DNA, that carries genetic information required for protein synthesis from DNA to the ribosomes See also transfer RNA genetic code

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messenger RNA Scientific  

/ mĕs′ən-jər /

1. See under RNA

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Etymology

Origin of messenger RNA

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The partnership expects to fund various types of vaccines, including those based on messenger RNA.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Using messenger RNA as an intermediary in their actions, the vaccines instruct the body how to manufacture parts of a pathogen that its immune system can recognize and fight.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025

A cell transcribes the ORF sequence into messenger RNA, which travels to cellular factories called ribosomes that assemble amino acid sequences into proteins.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 24, 2024

But studies later suggested that the pricier messenger RNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna provided better protection against COVID-19 and its many variants, and most countries switched to those shots.

From Seattle Times • May 8, 2024

To make an RNA copy of a gene, the cell used a rather simple transposition: every A,C,T, and G in a gene was copied to an A, C, U, and G in the messenger RNA.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee