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Brief Communication

Nature Genetics 37, 588–589 (1 June 2005) | doi:10.1038/ng1575

Alternative splicing and gene duplication are inversely correlated evolutionary mechanisms

Naama M Kopelman , Doron Lancet & Itai Yanai

Gene duplication and alternative splicing are distinct evolutionary mechanisms that provide the raw material for new biological functions. We explored their relationships in human and mouse and found an inverse correlation between the size of a gene's family and its use of alternatively spliced isoforms.