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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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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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?
Let’s suppose you have isolated a mutant strain of E. coli in which the lac operon is constitutively expressed. In other words, the operon is turned on in the presence or absence of lactose. One possibility is that the mutation may block the transcription of the lacI gene, thereby preventing the synthesis of lac repressor. A second possibility is that the mutation could alter the sequence of the lac operon in a way that prevents the repressor protein from binding to the operator. How would you distinguish between these two possibilities?
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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- 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_forwardSuppose you are studying the regulation of a gene involved in the metabolism of two nutrients, Llamasin and Alpacalon, in bacteria. You are trying to determine if these nutrients act as inducers in their operons. The following data were collected from your experiments. Which of these operons is most similar to the lac operon? Explain. Nutrient Levels of nutrient in growth medium Level of transcription of genes in operon Llamasin low high high low Alpacalon low low high high Highlight one in green: Llamasin Alpacalon Explanation: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_forward
- A lac operon containing one mutation was cloned into a plasmid, which was introduced by transformation into a bacterium containing a wild-type lac operon. The three genes of the chromosomal operon were rendered noninducible in the presence of the plasmid. (a) What kind of mutation in the plasmid operon could have this effect? (b) Suppose the result of transformation was to cause the three plasmid lac genes to be expressed constitutively, at a high level. What type of plasmid gene mutation could have this result?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_forwardConsider the trp operon found in E. coli. You have discovered a mutant strain of E.coli that contains a mutation in its trpR gene. This mutation prevents the trpR protein from binding to its small effector molecule. What would happen if both the wild type and mutant bacteria were put in an environment that contained lots of tryptophan? The normal (wild type) bacteria would have (i)________expression of the trp operon while the mutant bacteria would have (ii) _________ expression of the trp operon. A) (i) high (ii) high B) (i) low (ii) low C) (i) high (ii) low D) (i) low (ii) higharrow_forward
- 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_forwardIn addition to observing similarities to the lac operon, you also notice that this gene is regulated via attenuation, similar to the trp operon. Based on this similarity to this model operon, you could state that ___________. Group of answer choices If a terminator loop forms in the DNA, the expression of the structural genes is halted. The formation of the terminator hairpin followed by a series of Uracil (UUUUUUU) functions similar to Rho-Independent termination to result in the stopping of transcription. The transcription of a leader sequence affects the translation of the structural genes. Never mind – all of these statements are true! Attenuation will be the primary means of transcriptional regulation, with a repressor used as a back up option.arrow_forwardThe lac operon produces enzymes that allow the bacteria E. coli to metabolize lactose, it is in an inducable operon. When lactose is present, will the repressor protein attach or leave the operon? How would this effect the production of lactose producing enzymes?arrow_forward
- Under what conditions would you expect to see high levels of expression of the structural genes in the lac operon? Group of answer choices Lactose is absent and glucose is absent Lactose is absent and glucose is present Lactose is present and glucose is present None of these Lactose is present and glucose is absentarrow_forward. In the lac operon of E. coli, if glucose levels increase while lactose levels decrease, what will happen in the regulation of genes controlling the enzymes needed to catabolize lactose? the lac operon will be activated due to cAMP-assisted CAP binding to a site near the promoter the lac operon will be activated due to CAP detachment from a site near the promoter the lac operon will be repressed due to cAMP-assisted CAP binding to a site near the promoter the lac operon will be repressed due to CAP detachment from a site near the promoter all of the abovearrow_forwardSuppose 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
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