messenger RNA, mRNA, template RNA, informational RNA

the template for protein synthesis; the form of RNA that carries information from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome sites of protein synthesis in the cell

• ribonucleic acid, RNA — a large nucleic acid molecule found in the nucleus but mainly in the cytoplasm of a cell where it is associated with microsomes; consists of a linear polymer of nucleotides; it transmits genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm and controls certain chemical processes in the cell