Different protein isoforms are synthesized from the same gene through what process?

Different protein isoforms are created from the same gene primarily through the process of alternative splicing. This mechanism allows the exons (the coding regions of a gene) to be joined in various combinations during the RNA splicing process. As a result, multiple mRNA variants can be produced from the same pre-mRNA transcript. Each variant can then be translated into a distinct protein isoform, potentially with slightly different functions, cellular localizations, or interactions with other molecules.

Alternative splicing is especially important in generating protein diversity in eukaryotic organisms, as it enables a single gene to provide instructions for more than one protein variant, thus enriching the functional repertoire of proteins available to the cell. This process plays a crucial role in various biological functions and is an essential part of gene expression regulation.

Other processes mentioned, such as post-translational modification, gene duplication, and RNA editing, relate to protein function and diversity but do not directly contribute to the generation of different isoforms from the same initial mRNA transcript. Post-translational modifications occur after the protein is synthesized and can alter the function of a protein but do not create different isoforms from a single gene's transcript. Gene duplication involves the copying of entire genes, which can lead to