Question

Which of the following processes makes production of two functionally and structurally different proteins from the same gene possible?

1) Self-splicing introns
2) Differential transcription
3) Alternative replication
4) 5' capping and polyadenylation
5) Alternative RNA processing

Answer 1

Alternative RNA splicing is the process by which different proteins can be produced from the same gene by varying the combination of exons and introns that are removed from the primary RNA transcript.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process that makes the production of two functionally and structurally different proteins from the same gene possible is alternative RNA splicing. This mechanism involves the removal of different combinations of introns and sometimes exons from the primary RNA transcript. Alternative splicing is a controlled process that acts as a form of gene regulation, allowing different protein products to be expressed in different cells or at different developmental stages. Notably, the original 5'-3' order of exons is always conserved in this process.