RIBONUCLEIC ACID

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does ribonucleic acid mean? 

• RIBONUCLEIC ACID (noun)
  The noun RIBONUCLEIC ACID has 1 sense:

1. (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

  Familiarity information: RIBONUCLEIC ACID used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RIBONUCLEIC ACID (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

ribonucleic acid; RNA

Context example:

ribonucleic acid is the genetic material of some viruses

Hypernyms ("ribonucleic acid" is a kind of...):

polymer (a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers)

Meronyms (parts of "ribonucleic acid"):

nucleic acid ((biochemistry) any of various macromolecules composed of nucleotide chains that are vital constituents of all living cells)

Meronyms (substance of "ribonucleic acid"):

ribose (a pentose sugar important as a component of ribonucleic acid)

A; adenine ((biochemistry) purine base found in DNA and RNA; pairs with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA)

C; cytosine (a base found in DNA and RNA and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with guanine)

G; guanine (a purine base found in DNA and RNA; pairs with cytosine)

U; uracil (a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine)

Domain category:

biochemistry (the organic chemistry of compounds and processes occurring in organisms; the effort to understand biology within the context of chemistry)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ribonucleic acid"):

informational RNA; messenger RNA; mRNA; template 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)

nRNA; nuclear RNA (ribonucleic acid found in the nucleolus of the cell)

acceptor RNA; soluble RNA; transfer RNA; tRNA (RNA molecules present in the cell (in at least 20 varieties, each variety capable of combining with a specific amino acid) that attach the correct amino acid to the protein chain that is being synthesized at the ribosome of the cell (according to directions coded in the mRNA))

 Context examples 

A unit of measurement equal to one million ribonucleic acid (RNA) copies per unit of volume equal to one milliliter.

(Million RNA Copies per Milliliter, NCI Thesaurus)

Ribonucleic acid, or RNA, is responsible for protein synthesis inside cells.

(Scientists Discover Molecule that Could Reverse Cellular Aging, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The analysis involved sequencing each retina’s ribonucleic acid (RNA), the messenger molecule that carries instructions from DNA for making proteins.

(New study about genes linked to age-related macular degeneration, National Institutes of Health)

Small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA), has the potential to inhibit overexpressed cancer-causing genes, and has become an increasing focus for scientists on the hunt for new cancer treatments.

(Nanoparticles used to transport anti-cancer agent to cells, University of Cambridge)

A genomic biomarker can consist of one or more deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) characteristics.

(Genomic Biomarker, NCI Thesaurus)

These proteins combine with other molecules, called ribonucleic acids, to form ribosomes, which are the cell’s protein-making factories.

(Too much protein may kill brain cells as Parkinson’s progresses, NINDS)

The portion of the inner segment of a photoreceptor cell between the ellipsoid portion and the nucleus that is rich in ribonucleic acids (RNA) and is a major site for protein synthesis.

(Myoid Portion of the Inner Segment of the Photoreceptor Cell, NCI Thesaurus)

A cyclic cytidine.Cifostodine is formed during digestion of ribonucleic acid by ribonuclease.

(Cifostodine, NCI Thesaurus)

They found that the signal, generated by ribonucleic acid (RNA), helps viral proteins to overcome an 'engineering problem', assembling them into in a particular geometric pattern.

(Scientists A Step Closer to Drug Treatment for Hepatitis B, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Led by Professor Alfonso Jaramillo in the School of Life Sciences, new research has discovered that a common molecule, ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is produced abundantly by humans, plants and animals, can be genetically engineered to allow scientists to program the actions of a cell.

(Cells Programmed Like Computers to Fight Disease, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)