Messenger ribonucleic acid
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In the cell, the mRNA acts as a matrix for protein biosynthesis. In the cell nucleus, a small part of the double-stranded DNA (an information segment, e.g. a gene) is used to produce a complementary single-stranded RNA copy, which then serves as a template on the ribosomes for the synthesis of the corresponding protein. Unlike DNA, mRNA contains uracil instead of thymine and the sugar ribose instead of deoxyribose.