diff --git a/modules/@angular/common/src/pipes/replace_pipe.ts b/modules/@angular/common/src/pipes/replace_pipe.ts
index 24cfdc41b8..4ae89c1925 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/common/src/pipes/replace_pipe.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/common/src/pipes/replace_pipe.ts
@@ -51,14 +51,14 @@ export class ReplacePipe implements PipeTransform {
     if (!this._supportedReplacement(replacement)) {
       throw new InvalidPipeArgumentException(ReplacePipe, replacement);
     }
-    // template fails with literal RegExp e.g /pattern/igm
-    // var rgx = pattern instanceof RegExp ? pattern : RegExpWrapper.create(pattern);
 
     if (isFunction(replacement)) {
-      var rgxPattern = isString(pattern) ? RegExpWrapper.create(<string>pattern) : <RegExp>pattern;
+      const rgxPattern = isString(pattern) ? RegExpWrapper.create(pattern) : pattern;
 
-      return StringWrapper.replaceAllMapped(input, rgxPattern, <Function>replacement);
+      return StringWrapper.replaceAllMapped(
+          input, rgxPattern, <(m: string[]) => string>replacement);
     }
+
     if (pattern instanceof RegExp) {
       // use the replaceAll variant
       return StringWrapper.replaceAll(input, pattern, <string>replacement);
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/xmb_serializer.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/xmb_serializer.ts
index ba83ea7b9d..7fec593689 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/xmb_serializer.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/xmb_serializer.ts
@@ -85,8 +85,9 @@ function _id(el: HtmlElementAst): string {
 }
 
 function _serializeMessage(m: Message): string {
-  let desc = isPresent(m.description) ? ` desc='${m.description}'` : '';
-  return `<msg id='${id(m)}'${desc}>${m.content}</msg>`;
+  const desc = isPresent(m.description) ? ` desc='${_escapeXml(m.description)}'` : '';
+  const meaning = isPresent(m.meaning) ? ` meaning='${_escapeXml(m.meaning)}'` : '';
+  return `<msg id='${id(m)}'${desc}${meaning}>${m.content}</msg>`;
 }
 
 function _expandPlaceholder(input: string): string {
@@ -95,3 +96,15 @@ function _expandPlaceholder(input: string): string {
     return `<ph name=${nameWithQuotes}></ph>`;
   });
 }
+
+const _XML_ESCAPED_CHARS: [RegExp, string][] = [
+  [/&/g, '&amp;'],
+  [/"/g, '&quot;'],
+  [/'/g, '&apos;'],
+  [/</g, '&lt;'],
+  [/>/g, '&gt;'],
+];
+
+function _escapeXml(value: string): string {
+  return _XML_ESCAPED_CHARS.reduce((value, escape) => value.replace(escape[0], escape[1]), value);
+}
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/xmb_serializer_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/xmb_serializer_spec.ts
index b78e0308c8..936505b875 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/xmb_serializer_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/xmb_serializer_spec.ts
@@ -10,16 +10,23 @@ export function main() {
       it('should return an empty message bundle for an empty list of messages',
          () => { expect(serializeXmb([])).toEqual('<message-bundle></message-bundle>'); });
 
-      it('should serializeXmb messages without desc', () => {
-        let m = new Message('content', 'meaning', null);
+      it('should serialize messages without desc nor meaning', () => {
+        let m = new Message('content', null, null);
         let expected = `<message-bundle><msg id='${id(m)}'>content</msg></message-bundle>`;
         expect(serializeXmb([m])).toEqual(expected);
       });
 
-      it('should serializeXmb messages with desc', () => {
+      it('should serialize messages with desc and meaning', () => {
         let m = new Message('content', 'meaning', 'description');
         let expected =
-            `<message-bundle><msg id='${id(m)}' desc='description'>content</msg></message-bundle>`;
+            `<message-bundle><msg id='${id(m)}' desc='description' meaning='meaning'>content</msg></message-bundle>`;
+        expect(serializeXmb([m])).toEqual(expected);
+      });
+
+      it('should escape the desc and meaning', () => {
+        let m = new Message('content', '"\'&<>"\'&<>', '"\'&<>"\'&<>');
+        let expected =
+            `<message-bundle><msg id='${id(m)}' desc='&quot;&apos;&amp;&lt;&gt;&quot;&apos;&amp;&lt;&gt;' meaning='&quot;&apos;&amp;&lt;&gt;&quot;&apos;&amp;&lt;&gt;'>content</msg></message-bundle>`;
         expect(serializeXmb([m])).toEqual(expected);
       });
     });
diff --git a/modules/@angular/facade/src/lang.ts b/modules/@angular/facade/src/lang.ts
index 5cb7ae6b46..67e5c1a03f 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/facade/src/lang.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/facade/src/lang.ts
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ export class StringWrapper {
     return s.slice(from, to === null ? undefined : to);
   }
 
-  static replaceAllMapped(s: string, from: RegExp, cb: Function): string {
+  static replaceAllMapped(s: string, from: RegExp, cb: (m: string[]) => string): string {
     return s.replace(from, function(...matches: any[]) {
       // Remove offset & string from the result array
       matches.splice(-2, 2);