Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A nucleic acid present in all living cells and many viruses, consisting of a long, usually single-stranded chain of alternating phosphate and ribose units, with one of the bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, or uracil bonded to each ribose molecule. RNA molecules are involved in protein synthesis and sometimes in the transmission of genetic information.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • An abbreviation of Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • initialism biochemistry ribonucleic acid

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (biochemistry) a long linear polymer of nucleotides found in the nucleus but mainly in the cytoplasm of a cell where it is associated with microsomes; it transmits genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm and controls certain chemical processes in the cell

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[r(ibo)n(ucleic) a(cid).]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word RNA.

Examples

  • RNA and Armored RNA® controls for use as external and internal controls and calibrators for oncology.

    THE MEDICAL NEWS Editors 2010

  • Asuragen is the preeminent partner for contract development and GMP manufacturing of RNA - and DNA-based standards and controls including plasmid DNA, Armored RNA®, and capped and uncapped IVT RNA.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

  • In the upper part of figure 3 the normal splicing of beta-globin RNA is shown (A).

    Physiology or Medicine 1993 - Press Release 1993

  • It was proposed that this RNA is the determinant of PTGS.

    Advanced Information: The 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2006

  • In 1957, the first description of infectious viral RNA from the tobacco mosaic virus by Fraenkel-Conrat and Gierer and Schramm determined my vocation: to become a virologist using the modern approach of molecular biology.

    Luc Montagnier - Autobiography 2009

  • [W] ithout a trained organic chemist on hand to supervise, nature would be struggling to make RNA from a dilute soup under any plausible prebiotic conditions.

    Berlinski stirring the pot 2010

  • Those who do not share a completely trusting and unquestioning faith in RNA-first and who are willing to assess it with at least some measure of skepticism will be able to notice the highly artificial nature of Sutherland's approach.

    Convincing Evidence for God 2010

  • ORIGINS OF THE GENETIC CODE: The Escaped Triplet Theory: There is very significant evidence that cognate codons and/or anticodons are unexpectedly frequent in RNA-binding sites for seven of eight biological amino acids that have been tested.

    An Interesting Pattern 2008

  • There is very significant evidence that cognate codons and/or anticodons are unexpectedly frequent in RNA-binding sites for seven of eight biological amino acids that have been tested.

    An Interesting Pattern 2008

  • Viral RNA is converted to DNA, which integrates into the cellular genome.

    The 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Illustrated Presentation 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.