Exam 4 Flashcards
What is negative control?
Gene transcription is actively repressed so the gene would be “on” all the time in the absence of a repressor protein
What is positive control?
Gene transcription is induced so the gene is only turned “on” in the presence of an activator protein
What does an effector molecule do in negative control?
Changes the shape of the repressor in order for the repressor to not bind
What does an effector molecule do in positive control?
Changes the shape in order to allow the activator to bind
What is an allosteric site?
Where allosteric effectors bind in the regulatory protein to change activity
What does permease do?
Transports lactose into the cell
What does beta-galactosidase do?
Cleaves lactose to produce galactose and glucose
What is the I gene?
Encodes for the repressor protein outside of the lac operon
What does lactose do to the repressor?
Serves as an allosteric effector by binding to the repressor protein at the allosteric site when it is present so the repressor cannot bind
What does an I- mutant do?
Produces a defective repressor protein that prevents binding of the protein to DNA, resulting in constitutive gene expression (always on)
What does an I^s mutant do?
Prevents lactose from binding to the still functional protein so the repressor is always bound, resulting in constitutive suppression of gene expression
What is the operator?
The DNA sequence to which the repressor binds
What does an O^c mutant do?
Results in inability of repressor protein to bind to DNA so there is constitutive gene expression
Where does RNA polymerase bind?
The promoter at the -35 region (TTGACA) and the Pribnow box (TATAAT)
What happens if there is a mutation that changes the conserved -35 and/or Pribnow box sequences?
The RNA polymerase cannot bind and there is no transcription at all
Why does glucose block induction of lactose metabolism?
It is preferable so the glucose blocks induction of lactose metabolism so the bacteria can be efficient and process glucose first
How does glucose block induction of lactose metabolism?
It blocks the activity of adenylate cyclase so ATP isn’t converted to cAMP which cannot bind to CAP and form a complex and bind to the promoter to facilitate RNA polymerase binding so there isn’t active expression of the lac operon
What are cis regulatory elements?
Regulatory elements that are in the same segment of DNA as the gene of interest (within a few kb) like the operator and promoter
What are trans regulatory elements?
Factors produced by other genes that act on the gene of interest like the I gene and repressor producing the protein that binds to the operator
What is the trp repressor mechanism of transcription regulation?
Trp repressor binds tryptophan and turns off the operon when tryptophan levels are adequate
What is the attenuation mechanism of transcription regulation?
When there are low levels of tryptophan there is a much longer stall in transcription that creates the formation of a stem and loop between 2 and 3 that is much less stable than the normal so the ribosome breaks through and transcription continues
Mutations in the operator sequence result in _____ of the lac operon.
Constitutive expression
What effector molecule directly interacts with the Lac repressor protein?
Lactose
The primary control point at which gene expression is regulates in prokaryotes is initiation of _____?
Transcription
True or False? Structural gene order in prokaryotic operons often corresponds to the reaction order in the biosynthetic pathway these genes participate in.
True
A mutation that makes adenylate cyclase insensitive to glucose metabolites would cause ______ of the lacZ and lacY genes under what conditions?
Transcription in the presence of glucose and lactose
What is the trp operon controlled by?
Trp repressor and attenuation
How do effector molecules repress transcription of negatively regulated genes?
By stimulating activity of repressor proteins
How is DNA kept inactive in eukaryotic cells?
Chromatin
What are three consensus sequences required for efficient formation of the pre-initiation complex and RNA polymerase binding in eukaryotic promoters?
GC-rich box (GGGCGG ~200 bp away), CAAT box (GGNCAATCT ~75 bp away), and TATA box (TATA ~25 bp away)
What happens when there is a mutation at any of the three consensus sequences?
Dramatic reduction in transcription at these three sites
What are general transcription factors and which ones are they?
Proteins required for transcription of ALL genes by binding to DNA to form the pre-initiation complex like TBP, TFIID, TFIIF, TFIIH, and TFIII
What are specific transcription factors?
Transcription factors that directly bind to DNA to influence transcription of target genes
What do transcription factors do?
Stimulate or inhibit transcription by helping or hindering formation of the pre-initiation complex; stabilizes binding of RNA polymerase to the core promoter
What are some cis elements?
Core promoter (TATA box), proximal promoter elements (CAAT box and GC-rich box), enhancers, and silencers
What are some trans elements?
RNA polymerases, transcription factors, co-activators, and co-repressors
What is the difference between co-activators/repressors and transcription factors?
Co-activators/repressors do not directly bind to DNA
What are enhancers and silencers?
Gene regulatory proteins that are several thousand base pairs away from the gene
What allows specific transcription factors to interact with proteins?
Looping
What is the function of the DNA-binding domain?
Needed for specific transcription factor to bind to enhancer/silencer DNA sequence
What is the function of the activation domain?
Needed to interact with proteins bound to promoter to speed up or slow down transcription; assist to attract, position, and modify general transcription factors and RNA polymerase II at the promoter
What is Gal4?
A yeast transcription factor involved in galactose metabolism