Question:

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow :

Gene expresses itself in a cell system as a protein/enzyme. How an expression of gene occurs in a cell system, when it needs to occur and how the gene expression is regulated in prokaryotic cell system was studied by the combined efforts of Francois Jacob, a geneticist and Jacques Monod, a biochemist. For their work on lactose metabolism in E. coli and introducing the concept of "lac operon", they were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1965.

(i) How are the structural genes activated in the lac operon in E. coli ?

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The inducer binds the repressor and frees the operator for RNA polymerase.
Updated On: Oct 22, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Start from the off state:
The i gene makes a repressor protein. The repressor binds the operator and blocks RNA polymerase, so the structural genes z, y and a stay off.

Step 2: Add lactose:
Lactose (changed to allolactose) acts as the inducer and binds the repressor.
The repressor changes shape and leaves the operator. RNA polymerase can now bind the promoter and transcribe the structural genes.

Final Answer:
The inducer (lactose) binds the repressor and inactivates it, so the repressor leaves the operator and the structural genes z, y and a are transcribed.
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