You are working to characterize a novel protein in mice.Analysis shows that high levels of the primary transcript that codes for this protein are found in tissue from the brain,muscle,liver,and pancreas.However,an antibody that recognizes the C-terminal portion of the protein indicates that the protein is present in brain,muscle,and liver,but not in the pancreas.What is the most likely explanation for this result?
A)The gene that codes for this protein is not transcribed in the pancreas.
B)The transcript is immediately degraded in the pancreas.
C)The transcript receives a 5' cap in the pancreas.
D)Alternative splicing in the pancreas creates a protein missing the domain that the antibody recognizes.
E)The transcript receives a 3' poly-A tail in the pancreas.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Alternative splicing is a mechanism that allows different transcripts to be produced from a single gene, by including or excluding different exons during RNA processing. In this case, it is likely that the transcript is spliced differently in the pancreas, leading to the production of a protein that lacks the C-terminal portion recognized by the antibody. This would explain why the transcript is present in the pancreas but the protein is not detected by the antibody.

You Are Working to Characterize a Novel Protein in Mice