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Alternative Splicing and Genomic Stability

Kevin Cahill
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Abstract

Alternative splicing allows an organism to make different proteins in different cells at different times, all from the same gene. In a cell that uses alternative splicing, the total length of all the exons is much shorter than in a cell that encodes the same set of proteins without alternative splicing. This economical use of exons makes genes more stable during reproduction and development because a genome with a shorter exon length is more resistant to harmful mutations. Genomic stability may be the reason why higher vertebrates splice alternatively. For a broad class of alternatively spliced genes, a formula is given for the increase in their stability.

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Kevin Cahill. 2004-07-01. Alternative Splicing and Genomic Stability. https://doi.org/10.1088/1478-3967%2F1%2F2%2Fc01

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