Different exon combinations from one gene yield several protein variants.
About 95 percent of human multi-exon genes are alternatively spliced, expanding about 20,000 genes into many more proteins. Different tissues choose different isoforms.
Mis-splicing is linked to cancer and neurological disease.
Different exon combinations from one gene yield several protein variants.
Alternative Splicing is one of the 52 topics in Molecular Biology. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Gene Expression, Nonsense-Mediated Decay, Transcription Factors.
The Drosophila Dscam gene can create over 38,000 isoforms.
Work through the Beginner topics in Molecular Biology first, such as Central Dogma, DNA Replication, Base Pairing, then return to Alternative Splicing. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Alternative Splicing are Gene Expression, Nonsense-Mediated Decay, Transcription Factors, Enhancers and Silencers. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Alternative Splicing. To practise the whole of Molecular Biology, use the Molecular Biology quiz.
Alternative Splicing: Different exon combinations from one gene yield several protein variants. Gene Expression: The process by which information in a gene is used to make a functional product. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Gene Expression and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Molecular Biology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
The process by which information in a gene is used to make a functional product.
🧫 Molecular BiologyA quality-control pathway that destroys mRNAs with premature stop codons.
🧫 Molecular BiologyProteins that bind specific DNA sequences to turn genes on or off.
🧫 Molecular BiologyDistant regulatory DNA elements that increase or decrease transcription via looping to the promoter.
🧫 Molecular Biology