RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is a crucial molecule for all living cells, serving as a messenger in cellular functions and protein production. Similarly to its sister molecule DNA, RNA consists of a chain of nucleotides including adenine (A), cytosine (C), and guanine (G), but whereas DNA contains thymine (T) nucleotides, in RNA thymine is replaced with uracil (U). Additionally, in cells, DNA typically exists in a double-stranded form, while RNA is a single-stranded molecule. During protein production, RNA serves as a messenger that copies genetic information from the DNA and functions as a template for protein synthesis.
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