Genetics: From Genes to Genomes
6th Edition
ISBN: 9781259700903
Author: Leland Hartwell Dr., Michael L. Goldberg Professor Dr., Janice Fischer, Leroy Hood Dr.
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
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Textbook Question
Chapter 16, Problem 13P
The previous problem raises some interesting issues:
| a. | In most experiments using the lac operon, researchers use the synthetic inducer IPTG to turn on operon expression, instead of lactose or allolactose. What do you think is the advantage of using IPTG? |
| b. | Scientists were originally puzzled by what they termed the lactose paradox. To turn on expression of the lac operon, an inducer (whether IPTG or lactose/allolactose) needs to be able to get into the cell. Import of this inducer requires the presence of the Lac permease enzyme in the cell membrane (Fig. 16.2). But if the lac operon is being repressed prior to addition of the inducer, no Lac permease should be present, so no inducer could be imported, and induction could never occur. Yet induction obviously does occur; how might this be possible? |
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Students have asked these similar questions
Consider the lac operon of E. coli. Specifically, explain the following:
a. Describe the overall chromosomal structure/organization of the operon, indicating the location
and function of the regulatory regions and the structural genes.
b. Is lac a catabolic or anabolic pathway? Explain. Is the operon inducible or repressible? Explain.
c. Describe the mechanisms involved in negative control & positive control
1)
The logic of the Lac operon was deciphered by using bacterial lac-operon mutants. Crucial to the experiments was creation of partial diploid cells in which operon from a wild-type cell is introduced into the mutant cell [thus there are 2 copies of the operon], and its ability to restore repression is assessed.
Three classes of mutants were found that affect expression of the lac operon. Two of these resulted in constitutive expression of the operon, and the other eliminated all expression, even in the presence of lactose.
Use the information above to complete the following table indicating with a (Y) yes or (N= No) if enzymatic activity of B-Gal will be detected (protein made and functional). Assume there is no glucose.
Remember: Promoter for operon controls ALL genes downstream of it, coding sequence of the genes themselves matter (so if transcription is occurring but structural gene is producing a non-functional protein there will be no activity detected)
For the lac operon…
1.
A)Explain the mechanism by which the lac operon is sensitive to glucose levels (presence and absence of glucose).
B)If glucose levels in the cell are high and lactose is available from the environment, what is the status of transcription of the lac operon genes? Explain your answer from both an evolutionary perspective and in terms of negative and positive regulation of the operon?
Chapter 16 Solutions
Genetics: From Genes to Genomes
Ch. 16 - For each of the terms in the left column, choose...Ch. 16 - The following statement occurs early in this...Ch. 16 - One of the main lessons of this chapter is that...Ch. 16 - All mutations that abolish function of the Rho...Ch. 16 - The figure at the beginning of this chapter shows...Ch. 16 - The promoter of an operon is the site to which RNA...Ch. 16 - You are studying an operon containing three genes...Ch. 16 - You have isolated a protein that binds to DNA in...Ch. 16 - You have isolated two different mutants reg1 and...Ch. 16 - Bacteriophage , after infecting a cell, can...
Ch. 16 - Mutants were isolated in which the constitutive...Ch. 16 - Suppose you have six strains of E. coli. One is...Ch. 16 - The previous problem raises some interesting...Ch. 16 - For each of the E. coli strains containing the lac...Ch. 16 - For each of the following growth conditions, what...Ch. 16 - For each of the following mutant E. coli strains,...Ch. 16 - Maltose utilization in E. coli requires the...Ch. 16 - Seven E. coli mutants were isolated. The activity...Ch. 16 - Cells containing missense mutations in the crp...Ch. 16 - Six strains of E.coli mutants 16 that had one of...Ch. 16 - a. The original constitutive operator mutations in...Ch. 16 - In an effort to determine the location of an...Ch. 16 - Prob. 23PCh. 16 - The footprinting experiment described in Fig....Ch. 16 - Why is the trp attenuation mechanism unique to...Ch. 16 - a. How many ribosomes are required at a minimum...Ch. 16 - The following is a sequence of the leader region...Ch. 16 - For each of the E. coli strains that follow,...Ch. 16 - Prob. 29PCh. 16 - For each element in the list that follows,...Ch. 16 - Among the structurally simplest riboswitches are...Ch. 16 - Great variation exists in the mechanisms by which...Ch. 16 - Many genes whose expression is turned on by DNA...Ch. 16 - In 2005, Frederick Blattner and his colleagues...Ch. 16 - The E.coli MalT protein is a positive regulator of...Ch. 16 - Prob. 36PCh. 16 - Prob. 37PCh. 16 - Prob. 38PCh. 16 - Prob. 39PCh. 16 - Prob. 40PCh. 16 - Prob. 41PCh. 16 - The researchers who investigated bioluminescence...Ch. 16 - Prob. 43PCh. 16 - Quorum sensing controls the expression of...Ch. 16 - Scientists are currently screening a chemical...
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, biology and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- If a wild-type (normal, NOTmutated) E. coli strain is grown in a medium: a. without lactose or glucose, how many proteins (and which ones) are bound to the lac operon? b. Without lactose, but with glucose, how many proteins (and which ones) are bound to the lac operon??arrow_forwardStrain ROFL4 has a premature stop mutation in the lacZ gene, resulting in a nonfunctional b-galactosidase. Otherwise all other parts of the operon are functional. 1. Can strain ROFL4 metabolize lactose if it is present? 2. If lactose is absent, will strain ROFL4 transcribe its lac operon? 3. If lactose is present, will strain ROFL4 transcribe its lac operon?arrow_forwardImagine that a new strain of E. coli is discovered, and it contains the following novel genetic region including the lacI gene and the lac operon: *see image* Upstream of the promoter associated with the lac operon, there is a new operator element "Oν" (O-"nu"). This new operator has high sequence homology to O1, the DNA element that is bound with the highest affinity by the lac repressor. What would be the impact of this new genetic element regarding behavior of the operonin the absence (vs. the presence) of lactose and allolactose? Answer in terms of the protein levels of the lac repressor, as well as the proteins encoded by the genes lacZ/Y/A in the downstream region of the operon. Remember that proteins, once expressed/generated, will not persist forever, and that they have a natural lifetime (ending when they are degraded by the cell).arrow_forward
- Suppose you have six strains of E. coli. One is wildtype, and each of the other five has a single one of thefollowing mutations: lacZ−, lacY−, lacI−, oc, andlacIS. For each of these six strains, describe thephenotype you would observe using the following assays. [Notes: (1) IPTG is a colorless synthetic molecule that acts as an inducer of lac operon expressionbut cannot serve as a carbon source for bacterialgrowth because it cannot be cleaved byβ-galactosidase; (2) X-gal cannot serve as a carbonsource for growth; (3) E. coli requires active lactosepermease (the product of lacY) to allow lactose,X-gal, or IPTG into the cells.] Colony color in medium containing glycerol as theonly carbon source and X-gal, but no IPTG.d. Colony color in medium containing high levels ofglucose as the only carbon source, X-gal, andIPTG.e. Colony color in medium containing high levels ofglucose as the only carbon source and X-gal, butno IPTGarrow_forward. Suppose you have six strains of E. coli. One is wildtype, and each of the other five has a single one of thefollowing mutations: lacZ−, lacY−, lacI−, oc, andlacIS. For each of these six strains, describe thephenotype you would observe using the following assays. [Notes: (1) IPTG is a colorless synthetic molecule that acts as an inducer of lac operon expressionbut cannot serve as a carbon source for bacterialgrowth because it cannot be cleaved byβ-galactosidase; (2) X-gal cannot serve as a carbonsource for growth; (3) E. coli requires active lactosepermease (the product of lacY) to allow lactose,X-gal, or IPTG into the cells.]a. Growth on medium in which the only carbonsource was lactose.b. Colony color in medium containing glycerol as theonly carbon source, X-gal, and IPTGarrow_forwardWhat experimental results would indicate that the mutation lacISlacIS is dominant to lacI+lacI+? In lacISlacIS/lacI+lacI+ partial diploids, the lac operon is in a repressed state in the absence of lactose. In lacISlacIS/lacI+lacI+ partial diploids, the lac operon is in a constitutive state in the absence of the repressor. In lacISlacIS/lacI+lacI+ partial diploids, the lac operon is in an activated state in the presence of lactose. In lacISlacIS/lacI+lacI+ partial diploids, the lac operon is in a repressed state in the absence of the repressor. In lacISlacIS/lacI+lacI+ partial diploids, the lac operon is in a repressed state in the presence of lactose.arrow_forward
- If glucose is not available, but lactose is available from the environment, what is the status of transcription of the lac operon genes? Explain your answer from both an evolutionary perspective and in terms of negative and positive regulation of the operon?arrow_forwardYou then make a screen to identify potential mutants (shown as * in the diagram) that are able to constitutively activate Up Late operon in the absence of Red Bull and those that are not able to facilitate E. Coli growth even when fed Red Bull. You find that each class of mutations localize separately to two separate regions. For those mutations that prevent growth even when fed Red Bull are all clustered upstream of the core promoter around -50 bp. For those mutations that are able to constitutively activate the operon in the absence of Red Bull are all located between the coding region of sleep and wings. Further analysis of each DNA sequence shows that the sequence upstream of the promoter binds the protein wings and the region between the coding sequence of sleep and wings binds the protein sleep. When the DNA sequence of each is mutated, the ability to bind DNA is lost. Propose a final method of gene regulation of the Up Lateoperon using an updated drawn figure of the Up Late…arrow_forward1. a) If glucose is not available and lactose is absent from the environment, what is the status of transcription of the lac operon genes? Explain your answer from both an evolutionary perspective and in terms of negative and positive regulation of the operon? b)If glucose is not available, but lactose is available from the environment, what is the status of transcription of the lac operon genes? Explain your answer from both an evolutionary perspective and in terms of negative and positive regulation of the operon? b)arrow_forward
- Which of the following describes the lac operon in E. coli when lactose and glucose is present in the culture medium? Select one: a. CAP inactive and RNA polymerase does not completely bind to the promoter of the lac operon and transcription of lactose-metabolizing enzymes decreases. b. CAP is active and RNA polymerase binds completely to the promoter of the lac operon and transcription of lactose-metabolizing enzymes decreases. c. Catabolite activator protein (CAP) inactive and RNA polymerase does not completely bind to the promoter of the lac operon and transcription of lactose-metabolizing enzymes increases. d. CAP is active and RNA polymerase binds completely to the promoter of the lac operon and transcription of lactose-metabolizing enzymes increases.arrow_forward4) Suppose you have an E. coli in which the gene that codes for the lac repressor protein has been mutated in such a way that the protein produced can bind to both lactose and DNA (at its specific binding site in the lac operon promoter) simultaneously. What effect, if any, would this have on regulation of expression of the lac operon? Briefly (1 sentence) explain why you would predict the effect or lack of effect this mutation would have.arrow_forwardSupply the words “off" or “on" in the blanks below: In an inducible operon, transcription is normally and must be turned In a repressible operon, transcription is normally and must be turned Briefly describe the overall function of the structural genes in the lac operon. Briefly describe the overall function of the structural genes in the trp operon. For the following descriptions of the bacterial lac operon, determine if lactose is present (P) or absent (A). The repressor is bound to the operator. The repressor is inactive. RNA polymerase transcribes the structural genes. Allolactose is bound to the repressor For the following descriptions of the bacterial trp operon, determine if tryptophan levels are high (H) or low (L). The repressor is bound to the operator. The repressor is inactive. RNA polymerase transcribes the structural genes. Tryptophan is bound to the repressor.arrow_forward
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