Lab 9: Regulation of lactose metabolism

There are clearly different means and levels of regulating gene products, but the first
comprehensive description of regulation of genes was that of the enzymes necessary for
lactose metabolism in the bacterium, Escherichia coli. It has been known since the early
1900s that bacteria make the enzymes needed to metabolize certain energy sources only in the
presence of the substrate. If the substrate is absent, gene expression is turned off. Thus, there
is no mRNA and no enzyme for metabolizing the substrate. E. coli can use a variety of sugars
as an energy source; for example: maltose, glucose, lactose. In the 1950s François Jacob and
Jacques Monod, two microbiologists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, determined how E. coli
regulates the production of ß-galactosidase, the enzyme necessary to cleave lactose into
glucose and galactose for use as an energy source by the cell.

The basics of the system are as follows. There are three genes that are contiguous on the
E. coli chromosome. They have a shared promoter region that binds the RNA polymerase
and are all transcribed in the same direction into one mRNA molecule. These three genes
transcribed together into a single mRNA constitute an operon. The genes, in order from the
promoter region, are: 1) lacZ, 2) lacY, and 3) lacA. The lacZ gene codes for ß-
galactosidase, the enzyme that is necessary to metabolize the lactose. The lacY gene codes
for a permease enzyme that enables the transport of the lactose through the cell membrane
into the cell. Although the transacetylase, gene, lacA, is transcribed with lacZ and lacY, it is
not directly associated with metabolizing lactose and will not be considered further here.

Close to (upstream from) these three genes, but not directly adjacent to them, is another
gene, the lacI gene, that is crucial in the regulation of the transcription of the lacZ and lacY
genes. The I gene codes for a protein, the repressor protein, that prevents transcription of
lac ZYA. The lacI protein does this by binding to the DNA at a position called the operator
located directly downstream from and partially overlapping the promoter where the RNA
polymerase binds to transcribe the three lac genes.

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 The repressor protein has two binding sites— one is for binding the DNA of the operator
site, the other is specific for binding galactoside molecules (lactose molecules and other
galactosides that are analogs of lactose). As long as there is no lactose in the cell media, the
repressor protein remains bound to the DNA at the operator. However, when lactose is
present, lactose binds the repressor at the lactose site. Binding of the lactose to the repressor
protein changes the repressor’s shape which reduces the affinity of the repressor for the
operator site. This causes the repressor to fall off the operator site and allows the RNA
polymerase bound at the promoter site to transcribe the mRNA for the three genes, lacZ, Y,
and A. Once all the lactose has been metabolized and the lactose site on the repressor is free,
the repressor’s conformation allows it to bind again to the operator site and stop the RNA
polymerase from initiating transcription of the three genes. Thus, the cell makes ß-
galactosidase and permease only when lactose is present.

Promoter Operator
Z gene Y gene A gene
I gene

RNA polymerase

Operator binding
site

ß-galactosidase Permease Transacetylase

Lactose binding
site
REPRESSOR
PROTEIN

Figure 1. With no lactose present the repressor protein binds to the operator and the RNA
polymerase is unable to initiate transcription of the lac mRNA. None of the three enzymes
can be produced.

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 Promoter Operator
Z gene Y gene A gene
I gene

RNA polymerase mRNA

Operator binding
site

ß-galactosidase Permease Transacetylase

Lactose binding
site
Lactose molecules

REPRESSOR
PROTEIN

Figure 2. Lactose binds to the binding site on the repressor protein and changes the affinity of
the operator binding site for the operator DNA. Now the RNA polymerase can initiate
transcription of the lac mRNA.

Jacob and Monod deduced the mechanism of the lac operon by looking at the phenotypes
of various mutants in the system. A list of various mutants is given below. There are two
types of mutants. The first set includes mutations in the DNA that codes for the various
structural proteins of the system. They are:

Z - : encodes a non functional ß-galactosidase.

Y -: encodes a non functional permease.

I -: encodes a repressor protein that will not bind to the operator site. This mutation is
constitutive, i.e., ß-galactosidase and permease are always transcribed whether lactose is
present or not.

I S: encodes a repressor protein that has a modified lactose binding site that does not
allow the lactose molecule to bind. Once the repressor is bound to the operator site, it cannot
be removed even if lactose is available in the media. The lac genes are not transcribed with or
without lactose available.

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 The next set consists of mutations for binding sites on the DNA for the repressor protein
(the operator) and for the RNA polymerase (the promoter). These are called polar
mutations because their presence affects the production of genes downstream from them in
the operon. They are:

O C : operator site with DNA that has been modified so that the repressor will not bind to
it. This mutation is constitutive, i.e., ß-galactosidase and permease are always transcribed
whether lactose is present or not.

P - : promoter DNA region with a mutation that inhibits the binding of the RNA
polymerase.

Table 1. Synthesis of ß-galactosidase and Permease in Haploid Strains of E. coli.

GENOTYPE ß-galactosidase Permease

made made
Lactose Lactose Lactose Lactose
present absent present absent
1. I+ P+ O+ Z+ Y+ + - + -
2. I- P+ O+ Z+ Y+ + + + +
3. Is P+ O+ Z+ Y+ - - - -
4. I+ P- O+ Z+ Y+ - - - -
5. I+ P+ Oc Z+ Y+ + + + +
6. I+ P+ O+ Z- Y+ - - + -
7. I+ P+ O+ Z+ Y- + - - -

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 Although bacteria are haploid organisms, it is possible to make a partial diploid, called a
merozygote, that help in determining the nature of the mutations. In Table 2 below, Numbers
8 and 9 indicate that the I gene is responsible for making a substance that is diffusible— that
can act on its own chromosome as well as the other chromosome. Numbers 10 and 11
illustrate that the O mutant is a polar mutant and affects only the genes distal to it on the same
chromosome, but not on the genes on the other chromosome.

Table 2. Synthesis of ß-galactosidase and Permease in Haploid Strains of E. coli.

GENOTYPE ß-galactosidase Permease

made made
Lactose Lactose Lactose Lactose
present absent present absent
8. Is P+ O+ Z+ Y+ / I+ P+ O+ Z+ Y+ - - - -
9. I- P+ O+ Z+ Y+ / I+ P+ O+ Z- Y- + - + -
10. I+ P+ O+ Z+ Y- / I+ P+ Oc Z- Y+ + - + +
11. I+ P+ O+ Z- Y+ / I+ P+ Oc Z+ Y- + + - +

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 The lac operon system thus far described shows negative control that is inducible by the
substrate, lactose. There is also a positive control system operating in the lac operon.
Maximal induction of the lac operon also requires the CAP- cAMP (catabolite activator
protein complexed with cyclic adenosine monophosphate) complex that binds to the DNA at
the CRP recognition site at the beginning of the promoter site. The role of CAP-cAMP is to
help the RNA polymerase activate lacZYA transcription. CAP is made by the crp gene which
is located elsewhere in the genome. The cAMP comes from the conversion of ATP
(adenosine triphosphate), but in the presence of breakdown products from glucose, this
conversion is inhibited. In high concentrations of glucose, cAMP is not made. When there is
no cAMP, the CAP-cAMP complex cannot form and bind the CRP recognition site.
Therefore, if both glucose and lactose are available for the cell, ß-galactosidase will not be
produced until all the glucose has been used up and cAMP formation is no longer inhibited.

Promoter Operator
Z gene Y gene A gene
I gene

RNA polymerase mRNA

CAP

Glucose molecules

Figure 3. With glucose available, ATP is not converted to cAMP; thus, the CAP-cAMP
complex cannot form and bind to the promoter. Very little lac mRNA can be made.

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 Promoter Operator
CAP Z gene Y gene A gene
I gene

cAMP
RNA polymerase mRNA

Figure 4. With no glucose available, ATP can be converted to cAMP and the CAP-cAMP
complex can be formed and bind to the promoter. Large amounts of lac mRNA are
produced.

During their research Jacob and Monod discovered that there were analogs of lactose
(other ß-galactosides) that were even stronger inducers of the system than lactose (but were
not actually substrates for the ß-galactosidase enzyme). One of these we will use in our
experiment today is called IPTG (isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactiside).

Another analogue of lactose that is readily cleaved by ß-galactosidase is ONPG (o-

nitrophenyl ß-galactopyranoside). One of the products of the cleavage of ONPG produces a
bright yellow color. This will be used our assay for determining the activity of the ß-
galactosidase.

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Lac Operon Experiment

In this lab, you will be provided with three different bacterial strains. The strains are wild

type E. coli strain K12, a mutant of E. coli K12 that has a defective lacZ gene (Z -), and a
mutant of E. coli K12 that has a defective lacI gene (I -). The strains have been grown in

glycerol media. Your job will be to determine which strain is wild type, which is Z - , and

which is I -, based on your knowledge of the lac operon. To do this, you will determine the
relative levels of ß-galactosidase in each strain after the addition of potential inducers which
are either lactose, IPTG (a non-metabolizable lactose analogue), or glucose as follows.

1. Potential induction of the lac operon.

1.1. You will be provided with 12 tubes containing 2 ml of glycerol medium.

1.2. Label all 12 tubes with your group name.
1.3. Label 4 of the tubes with the letter A for strain A, 4 with the letter B for strain B, and
4 with the letter C for strain C.
1.4. Within each strain set, mark 1 tube as Control, 1 tube as + lactose, 1 tube as + IPTG,
and 1 tube as + glucose. These will be the potential inducers that you use to induce the lac
operon.
1.5. Aliquot 0.5 ml of the bacterial culture of strain A to the 4 tubes labeled A. Repeat for
cultures of strain B and strain C.
1.6. Add 100µl of either lactose, IPTG, or glucose to the appropriately labeled tubes. For
the control tubes, add 100µl water.
1.7. Incubate the tubes at 37°C in a water bath for 90 minutes. This incubation allows the
cells to take in the sugar and/or inducer molecules and allows time for the induction of the lac
operon.

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2. Assay for ß-galactosidase activity.

2.1. Permeablizing the cell membranes

It is necessary to permeabilize the bacterial membranes so that the substrate ONPG (see
below) can rapidly diffuse into the cell. This is done by treatment with SDS/chloroform.

2.1.1. Remove tubes from the water bath.

2.1.2. Add 10 µl of 0.1% SDS and 20 µl of chloroform to first tube.
2.1.3. Vortex for 5-10 sec.
2.1.4. Repeat steps 2.1.2 - 2.1.3 for each tube. This should take about 5 minutes. If it
takes less than 5 minutes, wait until 5 minutes after treating the first tube has elapsed before
continuing.

2.2. Adding ONPG, a substrate for ß-galactosidase.

Typically, the substrate for ß-galactosidase is lactose in the bacterial cell. However, we
will be using an analog of lactose called ONPG (o-nitrophenyl ß-D-galactopyranoside). One
of the products produced when ß-galactosidase cleaves ONPG is yellow in color. Thus, ß-
galactosidase activity can be assayed by following yellow color development in a reaction
containing ß-galactosidase and ONPG.

2.2.1. Add 1 ml of 1% ONPG to first tube.

2.2.2. Vortex briefly.
2.2.3. Repeat steps 2.2.1- 2.2.2 for each tube.

2.3. Monitoring ß-galactosidase activity.

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 One of the products produced when ß-galactosidase cleaves ONPG is yellow in color.
Thus, ß-galactosidase activity can be assayed by following yellow color development in a
reaction containing ß-galactosidase and ONPG.

2.3.1. Monitor the tubes for yellow color development. Some of the tubes will
immediately turn yellow. For others it may take as long as 30 min. Some of your samples will
not turn yellow.

2.3.2. Place the tubes in front of a white background and determine the relative
"yellowness" of each tube.

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 RESULTS OF LAC OPERON EXPERIMENT

STRAIN A STRAIN B STRAIN C

TUBE 1 - CONTROL

TUBE 2 - LACTOSE

TUBE 3 - IPTG

TUBE 4 - GLUCOSE

IDENTITY OF STRAIN

- = no yellow color
-/+ = very light yellow
+ = light yellow
++ = medium yellow
+++ = dark yellow

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References:

Ellison, J. et al. 1997. Gene regulation— the lac operon. in Genetics Cookbook. College
Station, TX: TAMU. pp. 91-98.

Griffiths, A. et al. 1996. Control of gene expression. Chapter 18 in An Introduction to

Genetic Analysis. 6th ed. NY: W. H. Freeman. pp. 545-582.

Jacob, F. and J. Monod. 1961. Genetic regulatory mechanisms in the synthesis of proteins.
Journal of Molecular Biology 3:318-356.

Moss, R. 1997. A discovery lab for studying gene regulation. American Biology Teacher
59:522-526.

Acknowledgment:

Special thanks to Dr. Nan Hampton at the University of Texas at Austin for writing the
introduction to this lab.

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