mrna

IPA/ˌem.ɑːr.enˈeɪ/
IPA/ˌem.ɑːr.enˈeɪ/

mrna — noun

1. the short form of 'messenger RNA', the molecule inside living cells that carries

1.nounB2
Definition

the short form of 'messenger RNA', the molecule inside living cells that carries genetic instructions from DNA to the part of the cell where proteins are made. These protein-building instructions control how a cell behaves and how an organism develops.

Example

In biology class, Eli learned how mRNA copies instructions from DNA.

uncountable noun — no article needed

Pfizer and BioNTech developed an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19.

mRNA as modifier in compound nouns

Common collocations
  • mRNA vaccine
  • mRNA technology
  • mRNA sequence
  • mRNA molecule
  • synthetic mRNA
  • mRNA-based therapy
Synonyms
  • messenger RNA

    the full, formal name; used mainly in textbooks and scientific papers

Usage Note

The 'm' in mRNA stands for 'messenger'. The abbreviation is always written in lowercase 'm' followed by uppercase 'RNA'. It is typically used as an uncountable noun ('mRNA carries instructions') but can appear with an article when describing a type or instance ('a synthetic mRNA designed for the trial').

Common Mistakes

The mRNA vaccine contains the virus itself.
The mRNA vaccine contains instructions that tell cells to make a harmless piece of the virus.
mRNA vaccines do not contain live or killed virus; they deliver genetic instructions only.
Doctors gave the patient an MRNA drug.
Doctors gave the patient an mRNA drug.
The 'm' must be lowercase; writing 'MRNA' is incorrect.

Word family

  • RNA
    nounB2
  • messenger RNA
    nounC1
  • transfer RNA
    nounC1
  • ribosomal RNA
    nounC1
  • mRNA vaccine
    nounB2

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • synthetic mRNA
  • mRNA-based vaccine
  • mRNA therapeutics
  • modified mRNA

Etymology

English

mRNA is an abbreviation coined in the early 1960s from 'messenger RNA'. The 'm' comes from 'messenger' because the molecule carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome — like a messenger delivering a letter. French scientists François Jacob and Jacques Monod first proposed the concept of messenger RNA in 1961, and the term was soon shortened to the now-standard abbreviation mRNA.