The lactose (lac) operon in E. coli is an example of a gene that is repressed when lactose is not available in a cell. In 3-5 sentences, explain what this means, using correct terminology.
4 answers
The lactose (lac) operon in E. coli is a group of genes involved in lactose metabolism. When lactose is not available in a cell, a repressor protein binds to a specific DNA sequence called the operator, preventing the RNA polymerase from transcribing the genes of the lac operon. This mechanism is known as repression, where the repressor protein inhibits gene expression by blocking the binding of RNA polymerase to the promoter region of the operon. In the absence of lactose, the lac operon remains in a repressed state, ensuring that energy is not wasted by producing enzymes for lactose metabolism when there is no lactose to metabolize.
now shorten it and make it look like it was written by a 10th grader
The lac operon in E. coli is a group of genes that help break down lactose. When there's no lactose, a protein called the repressor stops the genes from being used. The repressor binds to the DNA and blocks the enzyme that makes the genes work. But when there's lactose around, it sticks to the repressor and lets the genes do their job of breaking down lactose.
lol