key term - MRNA (Messenger RNA)

Definition

mRNA is a type of RNA that carries instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins.

Related terms

Codon:

A sequence of three nucleotides on an mRNA molecule that corresponds with a specific amino acid or stop signal during protein synthesis.

Transcription:

The process by which genetic information encoded in DNA is copied onto messenger RNA.

Translation:

The process by which information encoded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome.