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RNA

Synonyms

Keywords

Catalytic RNA, messenger RNA, nucleic acid, ribosomal RNA, ribozymes, RNA world, RNAi, transfer RNA

Definition

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is one of two principal types of nucleic acid found in all cellular life. The molecule consists of a polymer of ribonucleoside phosphates, each unit of which, in turn, is comprised of a pyrimidine base or purine base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate. RNAs encode genetic information (e.g., RNA viruses), serve as intermediates in gene transcription (e.g., mRNA), and also play structural, regulatory, and catalytic (e.g., ribosome) roles in cellular biology.

Overview

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

Francis Crick proposed a simple scheme, shown below, that he entitled "The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology" to serve as a unifying axiom for the emerging field of molecular biology:
i.e., "DNA makes RNA makes Protein." Information flow was held to be from left

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