Lecture # 40

Dr. Buckhaults
Genetic Regulatory Mechanisms
 Control of Gene Expression

• Transcriptional control
• Clustering of genes with related function
• Coordinate control of genes with related
function
• Polycistronic mRNA
 Inducible Genes - Operon Model

• Definition: Genes whose expression is

turned on by the presence of some
substance
– Lactose induces expression of the lac genes
– An antibiotic induces the expression of a
resistance gene
• Catabolic pathways
 Lactose Operon

• Structural genes
– lac z, lac y, & lac a
Regulatory
– Promoter Gene Operon
– Polycistronic mRNA
• Regulatory gene i p o z y a DNA

– Repressor m-RNA

• Operator Protein

• Operon -Galactosidase
Permease
Transacetylase

• Inducer - lactose
 Lactose Operon

Absence of lactose
• Inducer -- lactose
i p o z y a
– Absence Active
• Active repressor
No lac mRNA
• No expression
– Presence
Presence of lactose
• Inactivation of
repressor i p o z y a
• Expression
• Negative control
Inactive

-Galactosidase Permease Transacetylase

 Catabolite Repression
(Glucose Effect)

- glucose

Units of -galactosidase
• Definition:
Control of an
Glucose
operon by added
glucose
+ glucose
• Catabolic
operons Time (hr)
+ lactose
 Mechanism of Catabolite Repression

• c-AMP Absence of glucose

• CAP (CRP)
protein Adenyl cyclase
CAP c-AMP ATP
• CAP-cAMP
i p o z a
complex
y

Active

– Promoter
activation Inactive

• Positive -Galactosidase Permease Transacetylase

control Maximum expression

 Mechanism of Catabolite Repression

• Glucose:cAMP Presence of glucose

• CAP (CRP)
protein Adenyl cyclase

CAP X ATP

• No CAP-cAMP i p o z y a

complex
– No Promoter Inactive

activation -Galactosidase Permease Transacetylase

Low level expression

 Repressible Genes - Operon Model

• Definition: Genes whose expression is

turned off by the presence of some
substance (co-repressor)
– Tryptophan represses the trp genes
• Biosynthetic pathways
– Co-repressor is typically the end product of the
pathway
 Tryptophan Operon
• Structural genes
– trp E, trpD, trpC trpB
& trpA
Regulatory
– Common promoter Gene Operon
• Regulatory Gene
R P O L E D C B A
– Apo-Repressor
• Inactive
• Operator
Inactive repressor
• Leader (apo-repressor) 5 Proteins
• Operon
• Co-repressor
– Tryptophan
 Tryptophan Operon
Absence of Tryptophan

• Co-repressor -- R P O L E D C B A

tryptophan
– Absence of tryptophan
• Gene expression
Inactive repressor
– Presence of tryptophan (apo-repressor) 5 Proteins
• Activates repressor
• No gene expression
• Negative control
Presence of Tryptophan

• Role of tryptophan
R P O L E D C B A

No trp mRNA
Inactive repressor Trp
(apo-repressor) (co-repressor)
 Attenuation

• Definition:
Premature
L
termination of
DNA
transcription
P O 1 2 3 4 E

• Leader region AUG UGA

– Leader transcript
1 2 3 4 RNA
2 trp codons
– Translation start
– Translation stop
– Tryptophan codons
 Attenuation

• Mutually exclusive mRNA

secondary structure

4
2
1

3
UUUUUUU
– region 1 : region 2
– region 2 : region 3
– region 3 : region 4

3
• Coupled transcription and

2
4 UUUUUUU
translation 1
 Attenuation

High tryptophanyl-t-RNA Low tryptophanyl-t-RNA

AUG UGA
AUG UGA
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4

2 trp codons 2 trp codons

3
2
4
3

UUUUUUU 4 UUUUUUU
1
1 2

Attenuation No Attenuation
 Regulation of Enzyme Activity

• Feed back inhibition

• Epigenetic modification
– Post translational modifications
• Phosphorylation/dephosphorylation
• Adenylation/deadenylation