What is alternative splicing?

Explanation

It is very useful in regulating gene expression to overcome the environmental stress in plants.
(i) Alternative splicing is an important mechanism / process by which multiple mRNA's and multiple proteins products can be generated from a single gene. The different proteins generated are called isoforms.
(ii) There are various modes of alternative splicing. When multiple introns are present in a gene, they are removed separately or as a unit. In certain cases one or more exons which is present between the introns are also removed.
Significance of alternative splicing
(i) The proteins transcribed from alternatively spliced mRNA containing different amino acid sequence lead to the generation of protein diversity and biological functions.
(ii) Multiple protein isoforms are formed.
(iii) It creates multiple rnRNA transcripts from a single gene. A process of producing related proteins from a single gene thereby the number of gene products are increased. (iv) It plays an important role in plant functions such as stress response and trait selection. The plant adapts or regulates itself to the changing environment.