Chapter 12, Problem 5TY

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

An operon is a functioning unit of genomic DNA that contains a group of genes controlled by a single promoter. One such operon in E. coli is lac operon. The lac operon is a cluster of genes that function together to import and metabolize the disaccharide (lactose) into glucose and galactose. Since, for most organism glucose is the preferred source of carbohydrate (sugar) because it can directly enter glycolysis, when lactose is present in plenty, the lac operon gets turned on and the lactose is broken down to glucose and galactose which can be readily used by the body.