Which of the following best explains the contribution of the lac operon to the metabolic efficiency of a bacterial cell?

Regulation of gene expression and cell specialization

Regulation of genes for lactose utilization. lac repressor, catabolite activator protein, and cAMP.

Regulation of gene expression and cell specialization

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Why is the lac operon regulatory system important to bacteria?

In their classic paper they described the regulatory mechanism of the lac operon of Escherichia coli, a system that allows the bacterium to repress the production of enzymes involved in lactose metabolism when lactose is not available.

What does lac operon show us about bacteria?

The lac operon is one of the best known gene regulatory circuits and constitutes a landmark example of how bacteria tune their metabolism to nutritional conditions. It is nearly ubiquitous in Escherichia coli strains justifying the use of its phenotype, the ability to consume lactose, for species identification.

What is operon with the help of lac operon explain the idea of operon concept?

Lac operon contains genes involved in metabolism. The genes are expressed only when lactose is present and glucose is absent. The operon is turned on and off in response to the glucose and lactose levels: catabolite activator protein and lac repressor. The lac repressor blocks the transcription of the operon.

How do operons benefit the cell?

For instance, a well-studied operon called the lac operon contains genes that encode proteins involved in uptake and metabolism of a particular sugar, lactose. Operons allow the cell to efficiently express sets of genes whose products are needed at the same time.