Word.ws English Dictionary

riboswitch

riboswitch noun: a segment within the leading end of a messenger RNA transcript that is able to gauge the cell's need for the protein encoded by the rest of the message, then to rearrange its shape to control whether that protein is manufactured.

Noun

riboswitch (plural riboswitches)

  1. A segment within the leading end of a messenger RNA transcript that is able to gauge the cell's need for the protein encoded by the rest of the message, then to rearrange its shape to control whether that protein is manufactured
    • For example, a riboswitch responsible for sensing flavin mononucleotide (FMN) levels is present in the 5' leader of riboflavin mrna2006 Volker A Erdmann et.al.

Forms of riboswitch

pluralriboswitches

Origin of riboswitch

From ribo- + switch.

Questions about riboswitch

What does riboswitch mean?
Riboswitch means a segment within the leading end of a messenger RNA transcript that is able to gauge the cell's need for the protein encoded by the rest of the message, then to rearrange its shape to control whether that protein is manufactured.
What part of speech is riboswitch?
Riboswitch is a noun.
What is the plural of riboswitch?
The plural of riboswitch is riboswitches.

Words near riboswitch in the dictionary

  1. ribosomopathy
  2. ribospecies
  3. ribostamycin
  4. ribosugar
  5. ribosugars
  6. riboswitch
  7. riboswitches
  8. ribosyl
  9. ribosylase
  10. ribosylases
  11. ribosylate

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: riboswitch (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “riboswitch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/riboswitch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.