16.3.1

lac Operon

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Transcriptional Level

Regulation of gene expression in prokaryotic and sometimes eukaryotic cells occurs at the transcriptional level. Simply, if a cell does not transcribe DNA into mRNA, protein synthesis does not occur.

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Operons

  • Bacterial genes are often organized into common pathways called operons, for more coordinated regulation of expression.
    • All the genes in one operon are transcribed as a long, single piece of mRNA.
    • The operon includes a regulatory gene that codes for a repressor protein which binds to the operator, preventing RNA polymerase from transcribing the gene of interest.
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Regulatory molecules

  • In prokaryotic cells, there are three types of regulatory molecules that can affect the expression of operons:
    • Repressors are proteins which suppress transcription of a gene in response to an external stimulus.
    • Activators are proteins which increase transcription of a gene in response to an external stimulus.
    • Inducers are small molecules which activate or repress transcription depending on the needs of the cell and substrate availability.
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Lac operon

  • The lac operon is an inducible operon which contains the genes necessary to acquire and process lactose from the environment.
    • This is useful for E. coli bacteria because it means it can use lactose as an energy resource when glucose concentrations are low.
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Lac operon

  • When glucose is absent and lactose is present, the catabolite activator protein (CAP) binds to the operator sequence to activate transcription.
  • If lactose is absent, the repressor binds to the operator to prevent transcription.
    • Lac operon is only transcribed when glucose is low AND lactose is present.
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Comparison to eukaryotes

  • Transcription factors are involved in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes at the transcriptional level.
    • Eukaryote genes are NOT organized into operons.
    • However, one transcription factor may regulate a group of genes involved in a particular function.

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