Question

What is the advantage of having "split" genes in eukaryotes?

Answer 1

Genes in eukaryotes are present as introns and exons. This arrangement is known as 'split' gene arrangement.

Introns are removed by splicing i.e. they do not code for proteins. Exons and splicing make it possible to have a greater number of proteins made than there are genes. Introns enable alternative splicing, which enables a single gene to encode multiple proteins that perform different functions under different conditions.