Scribd
Upload
84 views16 pages

Regulation of Gene Expression

This document discusses gene expression and its regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It specifically describes the lac operon in E. coli, which controls the expression of genes involved in lactose metabolism. The lac operon is regulated by a repressor protein that binds to the operator site on the DNA, preventing transcription when lactose is absent. In the presence of lactose, the repressor detaches from the DNA, allowing transcription and expression of the genes.

Uploaded by

silent girl
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
84 views16 pages

Regulation of Gene Expression

This document discusses gene expression and its regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It specifically describes the lac operon in E. coli, which controls the expression of genes involved in lactose metabolism. The lac operon is regulated by a repressor protein that binds to the operator site on the DNA, preventing transcription when lactose is absent. In the presence of lactose, the repressor detaches from the DNA, allowing transcription and expression of the genes.

Uploaded by

silent girl
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 16

Topic: Regulation of gene expression

Assignment: Botany
Course Code: Bot-401
Credit Hours: 4(3-1)
Submitted to: Mam Mariam Ilyas
Submitted by: Anaya Fatima
Roll # : 75
Department: Chemistry
Section: Bs Chemistry (EB)
Government College
Women University
Faisalabad
Contents
 Gene
 Gene expression
 Control of gene expression
 Gene expression in;
 Prokaryotes
 Eukaryotes
Gene
A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of
heredity. Genes are made up of DNA.
Gene Expression
Gene expression is the process by which the instructions in our
DNA are converted into a functional product, such as a protein.
Gene expression is a tightly regulated process that allows a
cell to respond to its changing environment.
The control of gene expression
 Each cell in the human contains all the genetic material
for the growth and development of a human.
 Some of these genes will be need to be expressed all the
time .
 These are the genes that are involved in of vital
biochemical processes such as respiration.
 Other genes are not expressed all the time. They are
switched on an off at need.
Gene expression are regulated in;
 Prokaryotes
 Eukaryotes
Operons
An operon is a group of genes that are transcribed at the
same time. They usually control an important
biochemical process. They are only found in prokaryotes.
 The lac Operon
 The lac operon consists of three genes each involved in
processing the sugar lactose.
 One of them is the gene for the enzyme β
galactosidase.
 This enzyme hydrolyses lactose into glucose and
galactose.

 
Adapting to the environment
 E. coli can use either glucose, which is a
monosaccharide, or lactose, which is a disaccharide.
 However, lactose needs to be hydrolysed (digested)
first .
 So the bacterium prefers to use glucose.
Four situations are possible
1. When glucose is present and lactose is absent the
E. coli does not produce β-galactosidase
2. When glucose is present and lactose is present the
E. coli does not produce β-galactosidase.
3. When glucose is absent and lactose is absent the
E. coli does not produce β-galactosidase.
4. When glucose is absent and lactose is present the
E. coli does produce β-galactosidase.
When lactose is absent
 A repressor protein is continuously synthesised. It sits
on a sequence of DNA just in front of the lac operon,
the operator site.
 The repressor protein blocks the promoter site where
the RNA polymerase settles before it starts
transcribing.
When lactose is present
 A small amount of a sugar allolactose is formed
within the bacterial cell. This fits onto the repressor
protein at another active site (allosteric site)
 This causes the repressor protein to change its shape (a
conformational change). It can no longer sit on the
operator site.
When both glucose and lactose are present

 This explains how the lac operon is transcribed only


when lactose is present. But this does not explain why
the operon is not transcribed when both glucose and
lactose are present.
  When glucose and lactose are present RNA
polymerase can sit on the promoter site but it is
unstable and it keeps falling off. 
When glucose is absent and lactose is
present
 Another protein is needed, an activator protein. This
stabilises RNA polymerase.
 The activator protein only works when glucose is
absent.
 In this way E. coli only makes enzymes to metabolise
other sugars in the absence of glucose.
There are two key steps involved in making a protein,

 Transcription
 Translation

Transcription
 Transcription is when the DNA in a gene is copied to
produce an RNA transcript called messenger
RNA (mRNA).
 This is carried out by an enzyme called RNA polymerase
which uses available bases from the nucleus of the cell to
form the mRNA.
 RNA is a chemical similar in structure and properties to
DNA, but it only has a single strand of bases and instead of
the base thymine (T), RNA has a base called uracil (U).
Translation
Translation occurs after the messenger RNA (mRNA)
has carried the transcribed ‘message’ from the DNA to
protein-making factories in the cell, called ribosomes?.
The message carried by the mRNA is read by a carrier
molecule called transfer RNA ?(tRNA).
The mRNA is read three letters (a codon) at a time.
Each codon specifies a particular amino acid?. For
example, the three bases ‘GGU’ code for an amino
acid called glycine.
As there are only 20 amino acids but 64 potential
combinations of codon, more than one codon can
code for the same amino acid. For example, the
codons ‘GGU’ and ‘GGC’ both code for glycine.
 Each amino acid is attached specifically to its own
tRNA molecule.
 When the mRNA sequence is read, each tRNA
molecule delivers its amino acid to the ribosome and
binds temporarily to the corresponding codon on the
mRNA molecule.
 Once the tRNA is bound, it releases its amino acid and
the adjacent amino acids all join together into a long
chain called a polypeptide.
 This process continues until a protein is formed.
 Proteins carry out most of the active functions of a cell.
Reference
https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-
gene-expression
.
https://www.slideshare.net/rudrakshiraut5/t
he-lac-operon
.
https://www.slideshare.net/TapeshwarYada
v1/lac-operon-56015047.

You might also like