OPERON CONCEPT

In genetics, an operon is a functioning unit of DNA containing a cluster of genes under the control of
a single promoter.[1] The genes are transcribed together into an mRNA strand and either translated
together in the cytoplasm, or undergo splicing to create monocistronic mRNAs that are translated
separately, i.e. several strands of mRNA that each encode a single gene product. The result of this is
that the genes contained in the operon are either expressed together or not at all. Several genes
must be co-transcribed to define an operon.[2]

Originally, operons were thought to exist solely in prokaryotes (which includes organelles like
plastids that are derived from bacteria), but since the discovery of the first operons in eukaryotes in
the early 1990s,[3][4] more evidence has arisen to suggest they are more common than previously
assumed.[5] In general, expression of prokaryotic operons leads to the generation of polycistronic
mRNAs, while eukaryotic operons lead to monocistronic mRNAs.

Operons are also found in viruses such as bacteriophages.[6][7] For example, T7 phages have two
operons. The first operon codes for various products, including a special T7 RNA polymerase which
can bind to and transcribe the second operon. The second operon includes a lysis gene meant to
cause the host cell to burst.

STRUCTURE

Operon is made of three parts-

 Promoter – a nucleotide sequence that enables a gene to be transcribed. The promoter

is recognized by RNA polymerase, which then initiates transcription. In RNA synthesis,
promoters indicate which genes should be used for messenger RNA creation – and, by
extension, control which proteins the cell produces.
 Operator – a segment of DNA to which a repressor binds. It is classically defined in the
lac operon as a segment between the promoter and the genes of the operon. [14] The main
operator (O1) in the lac operon is located slightly downstream of the promoter; two additional
operators, O1 and O3 are located at -82 and +412, respectively. In the case of a repressor,
the repressor protein physically obstructs the RNA polymerase from transcribing the genes.
 Structural genes – the genes that are co-regulated by the operon.
Not always included within the operon, but important in its function is a regulatory gene, a
constantly expressed gene which codes for repressor proteins. The regulatory gene does not
need to be in, adjacent to, or even near the operon to control it.[15]
An inducer (small molecule) can displace a repressor (protein) from the operator site (DNA),
resulting in an uninhibited operon
REGULATION
Control of an operon is a type of gene regulation that enables organisms to regulate the expression
of various genes depending on environmental conditions. Operon regulation can be either negative
or positive by induction or repression.[14]

Negative control involves the binding of a repressor to the operator to prevent transcription.

In negative inducible operons, a regulatory repressor protein is normally bound to the operator,
which prevents the transcription of the genes on the operon. If an inducer molecule is present, it
binds to the repressor and changes its conformation so that it is unable to bind to the operator. This
allows for expression of the operon. The lac operon is a negatively controlled inducible operon,
where the inducer molecule is allolactose.

In negative repressible operons, transcription of the operon normally takes place. Repressor proteins
are produced by a regulator gene, but they are unable to bind to the operator in their normal
conformation. However, certain molecules called corepressors are bound by the repressor protein,
causing a conformational change to the active site. The activated repressor protein binds to the
operator and prevents transcription. The trp operon, involved in the synthesis of tryptophan (which
itself acts as the corepressor), is a negatively controlled repressible operon.

Operons can also be positively controlled. With positive control, an activator protein stimulates
transcription by binding to DNA (usually at a site other than the operator).

In positive inducible operons, activator proteins are normally unable to bind to the pertinent DNA.
When an inducer is bound by the activator protein, it undergoes a change in conformation so that it
can bind to the DNA and activate transcription.

In positive repressible operons, the activator proteins are normally bound to the pertinent DNA
segment. However, when an inhibitor is bound by the activator, it is prevented from binding the
DNA. This stops activation and transcription of the system.

TYPES OF OPERON

lac operon

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The lactose operon (lac operon) is an operon required for the transport and metabolism of lactose in
E.coli and many other enteric bacteria. Although glucose is the preferred carbon source for most
bacteria, the lac operon allows for the effective digestion of lactose when glucose is not available
through the activity of beta-galactosidase.[1] Gene regulation of the lac operon was the first genetic
regulatory mechanism to be understood clearly, so it has become a foremost example of prokaryotic
gene regulation. It is often discussed in introductory molecular and cellular biology classes for this
reason. This lactose metabolism system was used by François Jacob and Jacques Monod to
determine how a biological cell knows which enzyme to synthesize. Their work on the lac operon
won them the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1965.[1]

Bacterial operons are polycistronic transcripts that are able to produce multiple proteins from one
mRNA transcript. In this case, when lactose is required as a sugar source for the bacterium, the three
genes of the lac operon can be expressed and their subsequent proteins translated: lacZ, lacY, and
lacA. The gene product of lacZ is β-galactosidase which cleaves lactose, a disaccharide, into glucose
and galactose. lacY encodes Beta-galactoside permease, a membrane protein which becomes
embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane to enable the cellular transport of lactose into the cell.
Finally, lacA encodes Galactoside acetyltransferase.

STRUCTURE OF LAC OPERON

Structure of lactose and the products of its cleavage.

The lac operon consists of 3 structural genes, and a promoter, a terminator, regulator, and an
operator. The three structural genes are: lacZ, lacY, and lacA.

lacZ encodes β-galactosidase (LacZ), an intracellular enzyme that cleaves the disaccharide lactose
into glucose and galactose.

lacY encodes Beta-galactoside permease (LacY), a transmembrane symporter that pumps β-

galactosides including lactose into the cell using a proton gradient in the same direction. Permease
increases the permeability of the cell to β-galactosides.

lacA encodes β-galactoside transacetylase (LacA), an enzyme that transfers an acetyl group from
acetyl-CoA to β-galactosides.

Only lacZ and lacY appear to be necessary for lactose catabolism.