Chapter 18: Gene Regulation Flashcards
What is an operator?
The switch segment in DNA
What is an operon?
The entire stretch of DNA that includes operator, promoter, and genes they control
What is the repressor?
A protein that controls the operon
What does the repressor do?
Prevents gene transcription by binding to the operator and blocking RNA
What is the regulatory gene?
What the repressor is a product of
What is the corepressor?
Molecule that cooperates with repressor protein to switch an operon off
What is an inducer?
A molecule that inactivates the repressor to turn the lac operon on
How do inducible enzymes function?
catabolic pathways
How do repressible enzymes function?
anabolic pathways
What does CAP help in
regulate operons that encode enzymes used in catabolic pathways
What is differential gene expression?
Expression of different genes by cells with the same genome
What is histone acetylation?
acetyl groups attached to positively charged lysines in histone tails
What is DNA methylation?
The addition of methyl groups to certain bases in DNA and is associated with reduced transcription in some species
What are control elements?
segments of noncoding DNA that serve as binding sites for transcription factors that help regulate transcription
