The human gene encoding calcitonin contains six exons and five introns and is located on chromosome 11. The pre-mRNA transcript from this gene can generate either calcitonin or calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in a tissue-specific manner. Calcitonin produced from the thyroid gland is 32 amino acids long and functions to regulate the calcium while CGRP, which contains 37 amino acids, is produced by the brain cells and involved in transmission of pain. Which of the following processes makes production of two functionally and structurally different proteins from the same gene possible?
A) self-spicing introns
B) differential transcription
C) alternative replication
D) 5' capping and polyadenylation
E) alternative RNA processing

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Alternative RNA processing allows a single gene to produce multiple proteins by including or excluding certain exons during mRNA splicing, leading to different protein products in different tissues.

The Human Gene Encoding Calcitonin Contains Six Exons and Five