Why is lac operon important?

The classic example of prokaryotic gene regulation is that of the lac operon. This operon is a genetic unit that produces the enzymes necessary for the digestion of lactose (Fig. The lac operon consists of three contiguous structural genes that are transcribed as continuous mRNA by RNA polymerase.

What would happen if there was no lac operon?

Lac repressor would bind to operator, blocks access of RNA polymerase and transcription would not occur. The operon would be on because there is no trp to bind to the repressor and turn it off.

What is the purpose of the lac repressor?

The Lac repressor protein, LacI, prevents the transcription of genes involved in lactose utilization (lac genes) in E. coli. Like many other repressors, LacI utilizes multiple operators to increase the efficiency of repression.

What does the lac operon require?

The lac operon of E. coli contains genes involved in lactose metabolism. It’s expressed only when lactose is present and glucose is absent. Two regulators turn the operon “on” and “off” in response to lactose and glucose levels: the lac repressor and catabolite activator protein (CAP).

What is the purpose of the lac operon and under what circumstances is it activated?

The lac operon is an inducible operon that utilizes lactose as an energy source and is activated when glucose is low and lactose is present.

What is the concept of lac operon?

The lac operon is an operon, or group of genes with a single promoter (transcribed as a single mRNA). The genes in the operon encode proteins that allow the bacteria to use lactose as an energy source.

What do you understand by operon concept?

operon, genetic regulatory system found in bacteria and their viruses in which genes coding for functionally related proteins are clustered along the DNA. This feature allows protein synthesis to be controlled coordinately in response to the needs of the cell.

What does the lac operon produce?

lactose
The classic example of prokaryotic gene regulation is that of the lac operon. This operon is a genetic unit that produces the enzymes necessary for the digestion of lactose (Fig. 16-13). The lac operon consists of three contiguous structural genes that are transcribed as continuous mRNA by RNA polymerase.