mRNA Full Form

What is the Full Form of mRNA?

mRNA is Messenger Ribonucleic Acid. They are used in molecular biology. mRNA is single-stranded RNA that reads the genetic sequence of a gene with the help of ribosomes. This results in the synthesis of proteins. The process of forming protein from mRNA is known as translation. In a eukaryotic cell, RNA is transcribed in the nucleus, and it is transported to the cytoplasm for translation into protein by the ribosomes. After this, the mRNA degrades. The concept of mRNA was introduced by Sydney Brenner, Francis Crick, Francois Jacob in 1960. Later in 1961, two teams of scientists worked independently on the synthesis and processing of mRNA including Brenner, Jacob, and Matthew Messelson in one team and the other team was James Watson and his staff.

This Story also Contains

1. What is the Full Form of mRNA?
2. Synthesis
3. Processing
4. Structure
5. Degradation
6. Application

Synthesis

During the process of transcription, a single-stranded complementary RNA is formed. Different enzymes, collectively called DNA polymerase, help in this. The complementary RNA is known as mRNA. The mRNA is of two types: one is pre-mRNA which is not processed RNA, and another is mature mRNA, which is the outcome of processing. The mature mRNA further takes place in translation.

Processing

Prokaryotic organisms do not require processing; mature RNA directly moves forward for translation, but as eukaryotes have a more complex method so they require processing. The mRNA consists of exons, which are coding regions, and other introns, which are non-coding regions. The introns are present between two exons. As introns are unnecessary and are a barrier to the further translation process, they need to be removed. The process through which introns are removed and exons are joined together is known as splicing.

Structure

The mRNA consists of the following components:

• Coding region

• Untranslated regions

• Poly (A) tail

Degradation

There are various mechanisms that lead to the degradation of mRNA; some of them are mentioned below:

• Prokaryotic mRNA degradation

• Eukaryotic mRNA turnover

• AU-rich element decay

• Nonsense-mediated decay

• Small interfering RNA

• microRNA

• Non-stop decay

Application

The administration of modified mRNA can cause the cell to make proteins that will provide resistance to a specific disease. A common example is the vaccine made for COVID 19.

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