Question

What is an operator in Lac Operon?

Answer 1

Lac Operon:

1. A group of genes with only one promotor that encodes genes for the transport and metabolism of lactose in bacteria is known as Lac Operon.
2. gene regulation in prokaryotes is studied with Lac Operon Model.
3. Lac Operon consists of: regulatory gene, z gene, y gene and a gene.
4. All these genes help in the metabolism of lactose.

Operator in Lac Operon:

1. All the genes in the Lac Operon transcribe as a single mRNA under the control of one promotor.
2. Lac Operon also contains DNA regulatory sequences.
3. Proteins bind to these regions of DNA and control the transcription of the operon.
4. The promotor is the binding site for RNA polymerase which performs transcription.
5. The operator is the negative regulatory region overlapping the promoter.
6. The operator overlaps the promotor thus not allowing RNA polymerase to bind to the promotor and start transcription.