1. relating to or denoting an mRNA molecule that codes for more than one protein
Usage: molecular biology

Examples

• Bacterial genes are often organized in polycistronic operons.
• The polycistronic mRNA transcript contains multiple coding sequences.
• Prokaryotes commonly use polycistronic messages to coordinate gene expression.
• This polycistronic structure allows simultaneous production of related proteins.
• The lac operon produces a polycistronic mRNA encoding three enzymes.
• Polycistronic transcripts are rare in eukaryotic cells.