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Glite Dictionary
🚫 Without a leader 🧬 No leader sequence
leaderless

leaderless

8.2
A messenger RNA that does not have the usual beginning part before the start of the protein code
  • adjective
  • /ˈliːdərləs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sin líder
  • Some bacteria produce leaderless transcripts that start directly at the coding region.

Examples

  • A mutation resulted in a leaderless mRNA, affecting the efficiency of protein synthesis.

  • The researchers discovered a leaderless mRNA that could still be translated by ribosomes.

  • The leaderless mRNA was difficult to translate.

  • Researchers studied a leaderless mRNA variant.

  • The researchers discovered a leaderless mRNA that could still be translated by ribosomes.

  • Some bacteria produce leaderless transcripts that start directly at the coding region.

  • A mutation resulted in a leaderless mRNA, affecting the efficiency of protein synthesis.

Surface Forms

leaderless positive

Morphology

leaderless = leader (opaque) = leader + less

The 'leader' here is a technical biological term (leader sequence), so learners knowing 'leader' as a person will not reliably infer the meaning 'lacking the 5' leader sequence'.

Etymology

The word leaderless is also used in biology and comes from the same parts: leader ('a short guide at the start') and -less ('without'). So a leaderless mRNA is one 'without' the usual 'leader' piece at its beginning and starts directly with the code for a protein.