Ribonucleic acid (RNA) occurs in different forms within organisms and serves many different roles. Listed here are the types of RNA, grouped by role. Abbreviations for the different types of RNA are listed and explained.
By role + RNAs involved in protein synthesis Type Abbr. Function Distribution Ref. Messenger RNA mRNA Codes for protein All organisms Ribosomal RNA rRNA Translation All organisms Signal recognition particle RNA 7SL RNA or SRP RNA Membrane integration All organisms Transfer RNA tRNA Translation All organisms Transfer-messenger RNA tmRNA Rescuing stalled ribosomes Bacteria
+ RNAs involved in post-transcriptional modification or DNA replication Type Abbr. Function Distribution Ref. Small nuclear RNA snRNA Splicing and other functions Eukaryotes and archaea Small nucleolar RNA snoRNA Nucleotide modification of RNAs Eukaryotes and archaea SmY RNA SmY mRNA trans-splicing Nematodes Small Cajal body-specific RNA scaRNA Type of snoRNA; Nucleotide modification of RNAs Guide RNA gRNA mRNA nucleotide modification Kinetoplastid mitochondria Ribonuclease P RNase P tRNA maturation All organisms Ribonuclease MRP RNase MRP rRNA maturation, DNA replication Eukaryotes Y RNA RNA processing, DNA replication Animals Telomerase RNA Component TERC Telomere synthesis Most eukaryotes Spliced Leader RNA SL RNA mRNA trans-splicing, RNA processing
+ Regulatory RNAs Type Abbr. Function Distribution Ref. Antisense RNA aRNA, asRNA Transcriptional attenuation / mRNA degradation / mRNA stabilisation / Translation block All organisms Cis-natural antisense transcript cis-NAT Gene regulation CRISPR RNA crRNA Resistance to parasites, by targeting their DNA Bacteria and archaea Long noncoding RNA lncRNA Regulation of gene transcription, epigenetic regulation Eukaryotes MicroRNA miRNA Gene regulation Most eukaryotes Piwi-interacting RNA piRNA Transposon defense, maybe other functions Most animals Small interfering RNA siRNA Gene regulation Most eukaryotes Short hairpin RNA shRNA Gene regulation Most eukaryotes Trans-acting siRNA tasiRNA Gene regulation Land plants Repeat associated siRNA rasiRNA Type of piRNA; transposon defense Drosophila 7SK RNA 7SK negatively regulating CDK9/cyclin T complex Enhancer RNA eRNA Gene regulation
+ Parasitic RNAs Type Function Distribution Ref. Retrotransposon Self-propagating Eukaryotes and some bacteria Viral genome Information carrier Double-stranded RNA viruses, positive-sense RNA viruses, negative-sense RNA viruses, many satellite viruses and reverse transcribing viruses Viroid Self-propagating Infected plants Satellite RNA Self-propagating Infected cells
+ Other RNAs Type Abbr. Function Distribution Ref. Vault RNA vRNA, vtRNA Expulsion of xenobiotics (conjectured) GlycoRNA - Unknown
RNA abbreviations Abbr. Name FamilyDescriptionRef. ncRNA non coding RNA -nmRNAnon messenger RNA -synonym of ncRNAsRNAsmall RNA -synonym of ncRNAsmnRNAsmall non messenger RNA -synonym of ncRNAtRNAtransfer RNARF00005sRNAsoluble RNA -synonym of tRNAmRNAmessenger RNA -pcRNAprotein coding RNA -synonym of mRNArRNAribosomal RNAmultiple families5S rRNA5S ribosomal RNARF000015.8S rRNA5.8S ribosomal RNARF00002SSU rRNAsmall subunit ribosomal RNACL00111LSU rRNAlarge subunit ribosomal RNACL00112NoRC RNAnucleolar remodeling complex associated RNARF01518pRNApromoter RNARF01518synonym of NoRC RNA6S RNA6S RNARF00013SsrS RNARF00013synonym of 6S RNAaRNAantisense RNA -synonym of asRNAasRNAantisense RNA -asmiRNAantisense micro RNA -cis-NATcis-natural antisense transcript -Natural antisense transcripts transcribed from the same genomic locus as their target but from the opposite DNA strand and form perfect pairscrRNACRISPR RNA -tracrRNAtrans-activating crRNA -CRISPR RNACRISPR-Cas RNAmultiple familiesDD RNADNA damage response RNA -RNA that activates DNA damage responsediRNADSB-induced small RNAs -dsRNAdouble stranded RNA -endo-siRNAendogenous small interfering RNA -exRNAextracellular RNA -gRNAguide RNA -hc-siRNAheterochromatic small interfering RNA -hcsiRNAheterochromatic small interfering RNA -synonym of hc-siRNAhnRNAheterogeneous nuclear RNA -synonym for pre-mRNA (in the strict sense, it may include nuclear RNA transcripts that do not end up as cytoplasmic mRNA)RNAiRNA interference -Process in which RNA inhibit gene expression or translation, by neutralizing targeted mRNA moleculeslincRNAlong intergenic non-coding RNA -lncRNAlong non coding RNA -miRNAmicro RNAmultiple familiesmrpRNAmitochondrial RNA processing ribonuclease -synonym of RNase MRPnat-siRNAnatural antisense short interfering RNA -synonym of natsiRNAnatsiRNAnatural antisense short interfering RNA -Endogenous RNA regulators, between 21 and 24 nt in length, and are generated from complementary mRNA transcripts which are further processed into siRNAOxyS RNAoxidative stress response RNARF00035Small non coding RNA which is induced in response to oxidative stress in Escherichia colipiRNApiwi-interacting RNAmultiple familiesSmall RNAs that form RNA-protein complexes with piwi proteins in animal cellsqiRNAQDE-2 interfering RNA -rasiRNARepeat associated siRNA -Small RNA that is involved in the RNA interference pathway, a type of piRNARNase MRPmitochondrial RNA processing ribonucleaseRF00030RNase Pribonuclease PRF00010A type of ribonuclease which cleaves RNAscaRNAsmall Cajal body-specific RNARF00553scnRNAsmall-scan RNA -scRNAsmall cytoplasmic RNA -scRNAsmall conditional RNA -SgrS RNAsugar transport-related sRNARF00534Small RNA that is activated by SgrR in Escherichia coli during glucose-phosphate stressshRNAshort hairpin RNA -siRNAsmall interfering RNA -SL RNAspliced leader RNAmultiple familiesSmY RNAmRNA trans-splicingRF01844Small nuclear RNAs found in some species of nematode worms, thought to be involved in mRNA trans-splicingsnoRNAsmall nucleolar RNAmultiple familiessnRNAsmall nuclear RNAmultiple familiessnRNPsmall nuclear ribonucleic proteins -SPA lncRNA5' small nucleolar RNA capped and 3' polyadenylated long noncoding RNA -SRP RNAsignal recognition particle RNACL00003ssRNAsingle stranded RNA -stRNAsmall temporal RNA -tasiRNAtrans-acting siRNA -tmRNAtransfer-messenger RNARF00023Bacterial RNA molecule with dual tRNA-like and messenger RNA-like propertiesuRNAU spliceosomal RNAmultiple familiesvRNAvault RNA -synonym of vtRNAvtRNAvault RNARF00006Xist RNAX-inactive specific transcript -Y RNAY RNARF00019Components of the Ro60 ribonucleoprotein particle and necessary for DNA replication through interactions with chromatin and initiation proteinsNATsnatural antisense transcripts -Natural antisense transcripts encoded within a cell that have transcript complementarity to other RNA transcriptspre-mRNAprecursor messenger RNA -Immature single strand of messenger RNAcircRNAcircular RNA -msRNAmulticopy, single-stranded RNA -Products of a retron-encoded reverse transcriptase (RT) which form a RT-msDNA complex that acts as an anti-phage antitoxincfRNAcell-free RNA -
See also
List of cis-regulatory RNA elements RNA: Types of RNA Non-coding RNA
References
External links Rfam database — a collection of RNA families European ribosomal RNA database