The human genome may contain only about 10 times the number of genes possessed by a bacterium. However,

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The increase in gene number in humans produces far more than a 10-fold increase in the complexity of the genome due to multiple factors, such as alternative splicing, post-transcriptional modifications, and regulatory regions.

Answer: B
 Bacteria do have large areas of noncoding DNA in their genomes, which reduces the number of active genes. However, this is not the only reason for the difference in complexity between bacterial and human genomes.

Answer: C
 While humans do produce more copies of each RNA molecule, this does not necessarily increase the variety of gene products. Furthermore, this is not the only reason for the difference in complexity between bacterial and human genomes.

Answer: D
 This statement is incorrect. The number of genes possessed by an organism does have a bearing on its genetic complexity, but it is not the only factor. Other factors, such as regulatory elements and post-transcriptional modifications, play important roles in determining the complexity of an organism's genome.

The Human Genome May Contain Only About 10 Times the Number