Navigation Links
Operon


An operon is a group of genes including an operator, a common promoter, and one or more structural genes that are controlled as a unit to produce messenger RNA (mRNA). Operons occur primarily in prokaryotes and nematodes. They were first described by Franois Jacob and Jacques Monod in 1961.

The operon as a unit of transcription

An operon is a unit of transcription consisting of one or more structural genes, and two associated segments of DNA:

  • an operator (the switch)
  • a promoter (a binding site for the transcription enzyme).

The switch of an operon (that is, the "operator") is turned on unless a specific substance is bound to the operator. This substance is therefore called a repressor.

In summary:

  • The "operator" is a DNA binding site for a repressor;
  • transcription of the structural genes takes place unless a repressor is bound to the operator.

See also


'"/>


(Date:6/18/2013)... Faculty of Medicine have discovered a mechanism that is ... a component of blood typically associated with clotting, were ... detection, seal it off from the rest of the ... Immunology this week, provide the science community with ... has known that platelets do participate in immunity, but ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... United Kingdom, the Energy Department,s National Renewable Energy ... recently published a paper describing a novel cellulose-degrading ... quadripunctata , commonly known as the gribble. ... a relatively unique ability to produce their own ... down the biomass they eat. New biomass-degrading enzymes ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... A UT Arlington environmental engineer has been awarded ... District to ensure water quality and flow in ... Project. , Andrew Kruzic, UT Arlington associate professor ... and locations to add monochloramine to the water ... the new pump stations and pipelines. Adding monochloramine ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Immunity mechanism discovered 2Novel enzyme from tiny gribble could prove a boon for biofuels research 2UT Arlington research to benefit quality, flow in 150-mile Integrated Pipeline 2
... Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 18% of ... our growing obesity "epidemic" is driven by both inadequate ... extraordinarily difficult. One area that has caught the attention ... video game playing parallel obesity rates on a population ...
... the smoking ban in restaurants, bars and nightclubs, customers ... odors and the smell of old beer, that used ... looking at how the introduction of pleasant ambient scents ... According to Dr. Hendrik Schifferstein from Delft University of ...
... May 17, 2010 Country roadways can be hazardous for ... with moose, elk and caribou in North America and Europe ... the salt pools that collect following pavement deicing. ... with males weighing up to 720 kilograms, their salt cravings ...
Cached Biology News:Rigorous study confirms video game playing increases food intake in teens 2Clubbers can smell a good nightspot 2Of moose and men 2
Other biology definitionOther Tags