Which type of RNA is primarily responsible for translating genetic information into proteins?

mRNA, or messenger RNA, plays a crucial role in the process of translating genetic information into proteins. It serves as the intermediary that carries the genetic blueprint from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes, the cellular machinery where protein synthesis occurs.

During transcription, a segment of DNA is copied into mRNA, which then exits the nucleus and enters the cytoplasm. The ribosomes read the sequence of nucleotides in the mRNA and use that information to assemble amino acids in the correct order, forming a polypeptide chain that will eventually fold into a functional protein.

The other types of RNA have different roles. tRNA, or transfer RNA, helps in bringing the appropriate amino acids to the ribosome during translation, while rRNA, or ribosomal RNA, is a key structural component of ribosomes but does not carry genetic information. snRNA, or small nuclear RNA, is involved in RNA splicing and processing but is not directly involved in protein synthesis. Therefore, mRNA is the type of RNA that is specifically designed for the task of translating genetic information into proteins.