You have isolated two different mutants (reg1 and reg2) causing constitutive expression of the emu operon (emu1 emu2). One mutant contains a defect in a DNA-binding site, and the other has a loss-of-function defect in the gene encoding a protein that binds to the site. Is the DNA-binding protein a positive or negative regulator of gene expression? Explain. To determine which mutant has a defect in the site and which one has a mutation in the binding protein, you decide to do an analysis using F′ plasmids. Assuming you can assay levels of the Emu1 and Emu2 proteins, what results do you predict for the two strains (i and ii; see descriptions below) if reg2 encodes the regulatory protein and reg1 is the regulatory site? Explain. F′ (reg1− reg2+ emu1− emu2+)/reg1+ reg2+ emu1+ emu2− F′ (reg1+ reg2− emu1− emu2+)/reg1+ reg2+ emu1+ emu2−
Gene Interactions
When the expression of a single trait is influenced by two or more different non-allelic genes, it is termed as genetic interaction. According to Mendel's law of inheritance, each gene functions in its own way and does not depend on the function of another gene, i.e., a single gene controls each of seven characteristics considered, but the complex contribution of many different genes determine many traits of an organism.
Gene Expression
Gene expression is a process by which the instructions present in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are converted into useful molecules such as proteins, and functional messenger ribonucleic (mRNA) molecules in the case of non-protein-coding genes.
- You have isolated two different mutants (reg1 and reg2) causing constitutive expression of the emu operon (emu1 emu2). One mutant contains a defect in a DNA-binding site, and the other has a loss-of-function defect in the gene encoding a protein that binds to the site.
- Is the DNA-binding protein a positive or negative regulator of gene expression? Explain.
-
- To determine which mutant has a defect in the site and which one has a mutation in the binding protein, you decide to do an analysis using F′ plasmids. Assuming you can assay levels of the Emu1 and Emu2 proteins, what results do you predict for the two strains (i and ii; see descriptions below) if reg2 encodes the regulatory protein and reg1 is the regulatory site? Explain.
- F′ (reg1− reg2+ emu1− emu2+)/reg1+ reg2+ emu1+ emu2−
- F′ (reg1+ reg2− emu1− emu2+)/reg1+ reg2+ emu1+ emu2−
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