mRNA
Americanabbreviation
Usage
What is mRNA? mRNA, or messenger RNA, is RNA that’s used to carry DNA’s genetic code outside the cell nucleus so it can be used as the instructions to build proteins. DNA is a large, complex molecule (macromolecule) that allows cells to function and carries the genetic code that determines the traits of a living organism. DNA is in every cell of every living thing and contains the instructions that cells need to function. RNA is a macromolecule that functions alongside DNA to help cells make proteins, among other functions. mRNA is created from a DNA template in the nucleus. An enzyme in the cell nucleus, known as RNA polymerase, unspirals the DNA and breaks the ladder in half down the middle. The enzyme then reads the nitrogen bases (the rungs of the ladder) and makes RNA in a process known as transcription. mRNA carries DNA’s genetic code to structures called ribosomes in the cytoplasm (the middle layer of the cell between the nucleus and the membrane). The ribosomes “read” this code (the nitrogen base sequence), which specifies the amino acid sequence for protein synthesis—the creation of proteins. Once the protein is built, the cell destroys the mRNA. We took a microscopic look at the differences between mRNA, RNA, and DNA, and their vital roles. Read all about it here!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some codons make mRNA molecules more stable and easier for cells to translate into proteins, making them more efficient.
From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026
"She regained a lot of mobility and function" after receiving a custom mRNA vaccine along with powerful immunotherapy in December, he said.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Originally used in 16th-century England to describe a new idea in philosophy or religion, the term can be used to define almost anything, from a new sunscreen lotion to an mRNA vaccine.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
When directly compared with SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines delivered through lipid nanoparticles, a DoriVac vaccine carrying the same spike protein variant produced a similarly strong immune activation in human models.
From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026
BioNTech will provide “related rights and mRNA technologies” to the new company, which plans to develop “next-generation mRNA innovations with disruptive potential.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
