Compare and contrast the mechanisms of gene regulation employed by the lac and trp operons in E. coli.

Question

Compare and contrast the mechanisms of gene regulation employed by the lac and trp operons in E. coli.

Answer 1

The Lac Operon is an example of an inducible system of gene expression. Its default state is to be inactive. Only when the right catalyst is added to the system, in this case the sugar lactose, is the process activated, allowing the genes in question to be expressed.

The trp operon is a repressible system with two types of negative control with the default state being active.