The best estimate is that the human genome contains fewer than 21,000 genes. However, there is evidence that human cells produce many more than 21,000 different polypeptides. What processes might account for this discrepancy?

A gene is defined as an elementary physical as well as a functional unit of heredity.Thefunctional yields of most recognized genes are described as proteins.These are also acknowledged as polypeptides.

It is acknowledged that numerous proteins possessonly one polypeptide.However, few proteins are composed ofnumerous polypeptides.

Alternative splicing works byjoining or skipping sections of exons as well as noncoding sections inside a pre-mRNA transcript.This results in theformation of multiple protein isoformsthat are programmed by a distinct gene.

The post-translational modification process describes the biochemical variations that occur after the construction of a protein.

This process comprisescovalent processing measuresthat alter the features of a protein by theaction of proteolytic cleavage and by adding diverse groups like acetyl, methyl, and others. So, both these processes exhibit their role in explaining the discrepancy in terms of genes and polypeptides.