alternative splicing

noun

variants: also alternative RNA splicing

Medical Definition of alternative splicing

: a mechanism in which different combinations of exons are joined together during the final stages of transcription so that more than one messenger RNA is produced from a single gene In complex genes, alternative splicing can generate dozens or even hundreds of different mRNA isoforms from a single transcript.— Vivien Marx, Genomics & Proteomics, May 2004

— called also differential splicing

Note: Alternative splicing produces different messenger RNAs especially through the removal of one or more exons. Since each messenger RNA produced forms a different protein product, this mechanism enables a gene to encode multiple proteins that are structurally and functionally distinct.

Learn More about alternative splicing

Dictionary Entries near alternative splicing

alternative healing

alternative insemination

Cite this Entry

“Alternative splicing.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/alternative%20splicing. Accessed 19 Apr. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA