Index >>Ribose Nucleic Acids >>Stability of Messenger RNA - mRNA

Stability of Messenger RNA - mRNA - The cell does not contain large quantities of mRNA. This is because mRNA, unlike other RNAs is constantly undergoing breakdown. It is broken down to its constituent ribonucleotides by ribonucleases.

In bacteria, mRNA may be so short lived that while one end is translating protein the other end may be undergoing breakdown. In E. coli the average half-life of some mRNAs is about two minutes.Eukaryotic cells, on the other hand, contain metabolically stable mRNAs.

Mammalian reticulocytes are immature RBC which have lost their nuclei but have retained ribosomes. These cells can synthesize haemoglobin for many hours and even days by utilizing the mRNA transcribed by the nuclei when they were present.