Final answer:
mRNA is like an individual recipe, relaying instructions from DNA to the ribosome, where proteins are synthesized.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the analogy where DNA is compared to a recipe book, the messenger RNA (mRNA) would be the equivalent of an individual recipe. Just as a recipe provides the instructions on how to cook a dish, the mRNA carries the instructions for making a protein. During the process known as transcription, a specific segment of DNA is transcribed into mRNA, which relays the genetic information to ribosomes. There, in the translation process, the sequence of nucleotides in the mRNA is read and translated into the sequence of amino acids that make up a protein.
Therefore, mRNA is the intermediary between the DNA "recipe book" and the proteins that are the "dishes" being made. Just as a recipe is used by the person making the dish to guide them in the cooking process, the mRNA is utilized by the ribosome to guide it in assembling the amino acids in the correct order to make the protein.