NEET · BiologyHard

In the lac operon, if a mutation occurs in the operator region such that the repressor protein can no longer bind, what will be the phenotype of the cell regarding -galactosidase production?

  1. A.Constitutive expression
  2. B.Inducible expression
  3. C.No expression
  4. D.Repressed expression
Show correct answer & step-by-step solution

Correct answer: AConstitutive expression

Solution

  1. The operator is the binding site for the lac repressor.
  2. Binding of the repressor prevents RNA polymerase from transcribing the structural genes.
  3. If the repressor cannot bind, the operator is permanently 'open'.
  4. RNA polymerase can bind to the promoter and transcribe the genes regardless of lactose presence.
  5. This results in constitutive expression.
  6. Hence the answer is (A).

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