Chapter 16: Gene Expression Flashcards
What type of cell contains the full genome of an organism
Each somatic cell they have
How does regulation benefit organisms?
Regulation means efficiency, and because all genes do not need to go under gene expression it helps save energy, space, and time
prokaryotic gene regulation
What is an operon?
Proteins with similar function or in the same biochemical pathway are organized in blocks, which are called operons
Operons are regulated by three molecule types, what are the called?
Repressors, Activators, Inducers
What does a repressor do?
suppress transcription
What does an activator do?
increase transcription
What does an inducer do?
they may suppress or activate transcription based on the needs of the cell
What happens in a repressible operon (trp operon)
Binding of a specific repressor protein activated by a corepressor shuts off transcription (the repressor is innately inactive)
What happens in an inducible operon (lac operon)
Binding of an inducer molecule to an innately active repressor inactivates the repressor and allows transcription (repressor innately active)
In the trp Operon, when tryptophan is present, what happens?
The trp repressor binds to the operator, and RNA synthesis is blocked
Where do the two tryptophan molecules bind too?
They bind to the repressor protein at the operator sequence
What does the complex stop the RNA polymerase from doing?
It physically blocks the RNA polymerase from transcribing the tryptophan genes by binding to the operator
In the trp Operon, when there is an absence of tryptophan, what happens?
The repressor dissociates from the operator; and DNA synthesis proceeds
Now that the tryptophan is absent, what does the repressor protein do?
The repressor protein now cannot bind to the operator
There is no repressor protein on the operator so what does the RNA polymerase do?
The RNA polymerase can access the operator and the genes are transcribed
What are negative regulators?
Proteins that bind to the operator slience trp expression
In the lac operon, what happens in the absence of lactose?
The lac repressor binds the operator; transcription is blocked
In the lac operon, in the presence of lactose what happens?
The lac repressor is released from the operator, and transcription proceeds at a slow rate
in inducible operons, what is activation/repression based on?
It depends on the local environment and the needs of the cell
What is Catabolite Activator Protein (CAP)
An activator regulator
What does CAP do in the absence of cAMP?
CAP does not bind to the promoter, and transcription occurs at a slow rate
What does CAP do in the presence of cAMP
CAP binds to the promoterand increases RNA polymerase activity
What happens when glucose supplies become limited in the lac operon?
- cAMP levels increase
- cAMP binds to the CAP protein (a positive regulator)
- cAMP/CAP protein complex binds to an operator region upstream of the genes required to use other sugar sources
What are positive regulators?
Proteins that bind the promoter in order to activate gene expression