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Messenger RNA

Messenger RNA is RNA created from a Protein Encoding Gene.

Triplets of nucleotides (codons) on the messenger RNA molecule fit into the anticodons of Transfer RNA molecules that carry amino acids around inside the cell. The ribosomes (created by the Ribosomal RNA) combine the amino acids to form the finished protein.

The first amino acid is almost always Methionine, represented by one of the start codons (AUG, GUG, CUG). In the DNA, the Protein Encoding Gene will always end with a stop codon (TAA, TAG, TGA), but the stop codon does not become part of the messenger RNA and does not correspond to an amino acid (see also Amino Acid Codes).

The genes that create messenger RNA are designated by the type peg in the FIG ID. The genes that produce Transfer RNA and Ribosomal RNA are designated by the type rna. Thus, fig|360108.3.peg.6 creates messenger RNA that will eventually be used to build an ABC transporter ATP-binding protein, but fig|360108.3.rna.6 generates transfer RNA for the amino acid Asparagine.

Topic revision: r4 - 27 Jan 2009 - 00:31:28 - Bruce Parrello

Notice to NMPDR Users - The NMPDR BRC contract has ended and bacterial data from NMPDR has been transferred to PATRIC (http://www.patricbrc.org), a new consolidated BRC for all NIAID category A-C priority pathogenic bacteria. NMPDR was a collaboration among researchers from the Computation Institute of the University of Chicago, the Fellowship for Interpretation of Genomes (FIG), Argonne National Laboratory, and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois. NMPDR is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract HHSN266200400042C. Banner images are copyright © Dennis Kunkel.