Chapter 18 Review Sheet

Regulation of Gene Expression

Metabolic Pathways cans be regulated by:
1. Regulation of Enzyme activity
2. Regulation of Enzyme Production (Regulation of Gene
Expression)
Metabolic Pathways are regulated in order to save energy
Gene Expression production of enzymes
Types of enzymes produced:
1. Constitutive enzymes- needed and produced all of the time
-ex. RNA polymerase
2. Inducible enzymes- induced by a substrate
-ex. Enzymes that break down sugar
3. Repressible enzymes- repressed by end product they make
Regulation of Gene Expression is different in Bacteria (prokaryotes) and
Eukaryotes
Bacterial Gene Regulation
Responds to environmental change by regulating transcription
Produce enzymes only when needed (ex. E.Coli in intestines will
only use energy to produce enzymes to break down milk if you
drink it)
Bacterial DNA structure:
1. Operons! Genes grouped for common functions-lots of RNA made
at 1 site
Promoter
-RNA polymerase binging site
-Operator (on/off switch)
Genes of the operon
2. Regulator Genes-help control the operon by making a repressor
protein or activator protein
Far away from operon
Help control the operon by making an activator protein or a
repressor protein that will bind to operator!
Two ways to control Operons:
1. Negative Gene Regulation- active repressor protein blocks
transcription
Repressible- trp operon
Inducible- lac operon
2. Positive Gene Regulation- active activator protein initiates
transcription

Lac operon

Looking further into Repressible trp operon (Negative Gene Regulation

of operons)
*in a repressible system, end product represses further production
*trp is made in inactive form
When tryptophan is not in abundance, trp is an inactive
repressor, and operator is on to make more tryptophan
When tryptophan is in abundance, it binds to the trp
inactive repressor to activate it, the trp active repressor
then binds to operator to turn it off- blocks transcription!
Looking further into Inducible lac operon (Negative Gene Regulation of
operons)
*in inducible system, operon induced by substrate
*Lac is made in an active form
When lactose is absent, repressor stays active, operon off
When lactose is present, it binds to & inactivates repressor,
operon on (a lil)
(operon then makes enzymes to break down lactose)
Looking further into Inducible lac operon (Positive Gene Regulation of
operons)
*Lac is made in active form
*Active CAP binds to promoter, causing binding of RNA pol mRNA
synthesis
When lactose and glucose are present:
-b/c lactose, repressor is inactive and operator is on (a lil)
-b/c glucose, CAP inactive
When lactose present and glucose absent:
-b/c lactose, repressor is inactive and lac operon turns on
(a lot!)
-b/c NO glucose, high cAMP binds to inactive CAP and
activates it
Eukaryotic Gene Regulation
Responds to environmental change by turning genes on and of
Turn genes on/off to allow cell differentiation (specialization)
Structure of Eukaryotic gene:
Promoter
Gene (introns and exons)
Poly A signal and termination

Enhancer
Proximal control elements

How Eukaryotes regulate gene expression?

1. Chromatin Structure
2. Transcription initiation
3-6. Post transcriptional regulation
Looking further into Regulation of Chromatin Structure
DNA methylation
-cH3 into DNA base
-reduces transcription
Histone modification
-acetylation(loose DNA structure)-promotes transcription
-methylation (condensed DNA structure)-reduces transcription
Looking further into Regulation of Transcription Initiation
General transcription factors
-Required for all transcription
-Lead to a low rate of transcription
Specific transcription factors
-Activators-increase the rate of transcription-combination of
control elements enhance each gene-if multiple genes have
same control they all get turned on
-Repressors- repress gene activity- block activators
Other proteins
-DNA bending proteins
-Mediator proteins
Transcription initiation complex (TIC):
General tfs + specific tfs + DNA bending protein + mediator
proteins = TIC
Coordinately controlled genes:
-genes are dispersed over diff chromosomes but have related
functions
-transcription factories- where related genes can interact even
though they are dispersed over diff chromosomes- rich in RNA
pol & transcription associated proteins
**Hormones can act as transcription factors:
-Steroid Hormone, peptide hormone
Looking further into Post-Transcriptional Regulation
RNA processing

-alternative RNA splicing

mRNA degradation
-poly A broken down removal of 5 cap& nuclease enzymes
degrade mRNA
-eukaryote mRNA persistence (up to weeks) influences how
much produced
Protein processing and degradation
-life span of protein varies
-ubiquitin tag
-proteasome
-protein fragments
RNA interference (RNAi)
-small single stranded RNA molecules (miRNA & siRNA)
-control gene expression (form complex with protein, bind to
mRNA)

*Differential gene expression leads to diff cell types in a

multicellular organism
in other words: 1fertilized egg many cells with different properties
Diff genes are activated
Cell signaling tells cell which genes to activate
Ex. cytoplasmic determinant- mRNA, proteins, etc. scatteredsignals tell cell
what to differentiate into
-inductive signals (paracrine signaling- nearby cell to
receiving cell STPs)
Precursordetermined cellsdifferentiated cells
When gene regulation goes wrong:
-mutations
-cancer