Predict what would happen to regulation of the lac operon if the lacI gene were moved 50,000 nucleotides upstream of its normal location.
Ch. 18 - Control of Gene Expression in Bacteria
Chapter 18, Problem 8
IPTG is a molecule with a structure much like lactose. IPTG can be transported into cells by galactoside permease and can bind to the lac repressor protein. However, unlike lactose, IPTG is not broken down by ββ-galactosidase. Predict what would occur to lac operon regulation if IPTG were added to E. coli growth medium containing no glucose or lactose.
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Understand the role of the lac operon: The lac operon in E. coli is a set of genes that are responsible for the transport and metabolism of lactose. It includes genes for lactose permease, which transports lactose into the cell, and β-galactosidase, which breaks down lactose.
Recognize the function of the lac repressor: The lac repressor is a protein that binds to the operator region of the lac operon, preventing transcription of the operon's genes when lactose is absent. The presence of lactose or a lactose analog like IPTG can bind to the repressor, causing it to change shape and release from the operator, allowing transcription.
Consider the role of IPTG: IPTG, being similar to lactose, can bind to the lac repressor. However, since it is not metabolized by β-galactosidase, it remains in the system and continuously induces the operon.
Predict the effect of IPTG on the lac operon: With IPTG present in the growth medium and no glucose to inhibit the lac operon via catabolite repression, IPTG will bind to the lac repressor. This will cause the repressor to release from the operator, leading to the continuous transcription of the lac operon genes.
Evaluate the outcome: As a result, the genes for lactose permease and β-galactosidase will be continuously expressed, even though there is no lactose to metabolize. This leads to the synthesis of proteins that are not immediately needed, which could affect the cell's energy management.

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Lac Operon
The lac operon is a set of genes in E. coli that are responsible for the metabolism of lactose. It consists of structural genes that encode proteins necessary for lactose uptake and breakdown, regulated by the lac repressor and the presence of lactose. When lactose is present, it binds to the lac repressor, causing it to release from the operator region, allowing transcription of the operon.
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IPTG and its Role
IPTG (Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside) is a synthetic analog of lactose that can induce the lac operon. It mimics lactose by binding to the lac repressor, leading to the derepression of the operon. Unlike lactose, IPTG is not metabolized by E. coli, which means it can continuously activate the operon without being consumed, making it a useful tool in molecular biology for gene expression studies.
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Galactoside Permease
Galactoside permease is a membrane protein that facilitates the transport of galactosides, such as lactose and IPTG, into E. coli cells. This transport is crucial for the regulation of the lac operon, as the presence of these molecules inside the cell influences the activity of the lac repressor. The ability of IPTG to enter the cell via galactoside permease allows it to effectively induce the lac operon even in the absence of glucose or lactose.
Related Practice
Textbook Question
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Textbook Question
Predict what would happen to regulation of the lac operon if the lacI gene were moved 50,000 nucleotides upstream of its normal location.
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Explain why it makes sense for the lexA regulatory gene of the SOS regulon to be expressed constitutively.
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Textbook Question
In a mutant that lacks adenylyl cyclase, the enzyme that synthesizes cAMP, predict which of the following conditions of extracellular lactose and glucose would cause regulation of the lac operon to differ from that of wild-type cells.a. no lactose, no glucoseb. no lactose, abundant glucosec. abundant lactose, no glucosed. abundant lactose, abundant glucose
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Textbook Question
X-gal is a colorless, lactose-like molecule that can be split into two fragments by ββ-galactosidase. One of these product molecules creates a blue color. The photograph here shows E. coli colonies growing in a medium that contains X-gal. Find three colonies whose cells have functioning copies of ββ-galactosidase. Find three colonies whose cells might have mutations in the lacZ or the lacY genes. Suppose you analyze the protein-coding sequence of the lacZ and lacY genes of cells from the three mutant colonies and find that these sequences are wild type (normal). What other region of the lac operon might be altered to account for the mutant phenotype of these colonies?
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Textbook Question
The Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) is able to glow from luminescent Vibrio fischeri bacteria held in its light organs. As it swims at night near the ocean surface, it adjusts the amount of light visible to predators below to match the light from the stars and moon. Predators have difficulty seeing the illuminated squid against the night sky.
The bacteria glow in response to a molecule that regulates expression of genes involved in light-producing chemical reactions. The regulator controls production of the genes' mRNA. Therefore, the light-producing genes are under
a. Transcriptional control.
b. Translational control.
c. Post-translational control.
d. Negative control.
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