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

---

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

---

messenger RNA Scientific  

/ mĕs′ən-jər /

1. See under RNA

---

Etymology

Origin of messenger RNA

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

An mRNA vaccine uses messenger RNA to get your cells to make a piece of a virus that is harmless.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

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