Final answer:
Alternative splicing is a post-transcriptional regulation mechanism, not pre-transcriptional, and it is essential for producing multiple protein products from a single gene by varying exon and intron combinations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that alternative splicing is a common method of pre-transcriptional regulation is false. Alternative splicing is a post-transcriptional gene regulation mechanism that occurs in eukaryotes where multiple protein products can be produced from a single gene. This process involves the removal or combination of different exons and introns from a primary RNA transcript, which can result in various mRNA transcripts and thus, different protein isoforms. Differential splicing is critical for the diversity of proteins produced in different cells or across various developmental stages. According to research, up to 70 percent of human genes are expressed as multiple proteins through alternative splicing, highlighting its significance in gene expression and protein diversity.