Question

Which of the following is associated with the production of multiple mRNAs from a single gene?

1) alternative splicing
2) spliceosome mutations
3) polycistronic organization
4) gene rearrangement
5) both spliceosome mutations and polycistronic organization

Answer 1

The production of multiple mRNAs from a single gene is largely due to alternative splicing, which is a regulated process that combines different exons to create various mRNA transcripts and corresponding protein products.

Step-by-step explanation:

The production of multiple mRNAs from a single gene is most commonly associated with alternative splicing. This process allows for different protein products to be synthesized from one gene by combining different combinations of exons to form the mRNA. The original order of the exons is conserved in this process. For example, an exon arrangement of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 could be alternatively spliced to 1 2 4 5 6 7 or 1 2 3 6 7, but never in a scrambled order like 1 2 5 4 3 6 7. It is a highly regulated mechanism of gene regulation, with the cell controlling the frequency of different splicing alternatives, which enables different protein products to be produced in different cells or at different developmental stages. It's estimated that up to 70 percent of human genes are expressed as multiple proteins through alternative splicing, highlighting the significance of this mechanism in eukaryotes. Therefore, the correct answer to the question about the production of multiple mRNAs from a single gene is alternative splicing.