By Team Aakash Byju's
Lac Operon is a set of genes with a single promoter that encodes genes for lactose transport and metabolism in E.coli and other bacteria.
The lac operon is made up of the following components:
Regulatory Gene: It encodes the repressor protein. Z Gene: It encodes Beta-Galactosidase. Y gene: This gene encodes Permease. A gene: It encodes Transacetylase.
The Lac operon contains genes that are involved in metabolism.
The genes get activated when lactose is present and glucose is absent.
Catabolite activator protein and lac repressor activate and deactivate the operon in response to glucose and lactose levels.
The lac repressor suppresses transcription of the operon. When lactose is present, it loses its ability to operate as a repressor.
Only when glucose levels are low, catabolite activator protein can initiate operon transcription.