Definitions for RNA
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
RNA
ribonucleic acid: any of a class of single-stranded nucleic acid molecules of ribose and uracil, found chiefly in the cytoplasm of cells and in certain viruses; important in protein synthesis and in the transmission of genetic information transcribed from DNA.
Category: Biochemistry, Genetics
Ref: Compare messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA.
Origin of RNA:
1945–50
Princeton's WordNet
ribonucleic acid, RNA(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
"ribonucleic acid is the genetic material of some viruses"
U.S. National Library of Medicine
RNA
A polynucleotide consisting essentially of chains with a repeating backbone of phosphate and ribose units to which nitrogenous bases are attached. RNA is unique among biological macromolecules in that it can encode genetic information, serve as an abundant structural component of cells, and also possesses catalytic activity. (Rieger et al., Glossary of Genetics: Classical and Molecular, 5th ed)
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