Gene Expression and

Regulation
Functional Interaction Among
Biomolecules
 Gene expression
• Genotype to Phenotype
• DNA to RNA to Protein (Central
Dogma)
• Transcription: DNA (gene) to RNA
• Translation: mRNA to polypeptide
• Basic and simplified system –
Prokaryotes (Escherichia coli)
 Requirements for Gene
transcription
• Promoter sequences (Pribnow box)
and others
• Auxilliary factors (sigma  and rho)
• RNA polymerase (core enzyme)
• Holoenzyme (core enzyme + 
factor)
• Free ribonucleotides
Where to start?

Holoenzyme
(21 + )
Transcription Initiation
Transcription Elongation
Transcription Termination

rho
 Gene translation
• Information of triplet base (Codon):
Genetic Codes
• Involves recognition of codon (in
mRNA) by anticodon (in tRNA)
• Requires ribosome (small and large
subunits)
• Requires auxilliary factors: initiation,
elongation, and termination factors
What is the Genetic Code?
What are Ribosomes?
 Translation Initiation 1

The general rule of translation initiation: Protein

synthesis always starts with methionine codon
(AUG)
Translation Initiation 2
Translation Elongation
Translation Elongation (Peptide bond)
Translation Termination
Gene Regulation
The lac Operon Model
(Prokaryote System)
 What is Gene Regulation?
• Natural mechanism to control gene
expression
• Reversible system: Allows rapid
switches from one biochemical
pathway to another
• Usually short-term
• Purposes: 1) Development and
growth
2) Adaptation to
environment
Understanding some terminologies…
• Operons: Transcriptional units (bacterial
genes) that contain more than one coding
sequence
• lac operon: A single transcriptional unit
encoding three enzymes for lactose
metabolism (Francois Jacob and Jacques
Monod @ Pasteur Institute in Paris, 1950s)
• Regulatory genes: Produce repressors or
activators
• Operator: Segment of DNA that is
recognized and bound by regulatory
proteins
Operon Model (Jacod-Monod
Hypothesis)
-galactosidase – hydrolyzes lactose into glucose and
galactose

Galactoside permease – promotes transport of lactose

and related sugars into cell

Thiogalactoside transacetylase – function(s) unclear

Regulation by Active Repressors

• Regulatory protein involved is lac

repressor (isolated and purified in
1967 by Gilbert and Muller-Hill)
• Active repressor: Binds to a site
within the promoter (operator) and
inhibits transcription of the lac
operon
• lac repressor has domain that can
bind to chemical derivatives of
lactose (inducer)
lac repressor system
Regulation by Inactive Repressors

• Regulatory protein involved is trp

repressor
• Operates in the trp operon:
transcriptional unit encoding
enzymes for the biochemical
pathway synthesizing the amino
acid, tryptophan
• trp repressor has domain can bind
to tryptophan (corepressor)
The trp operon
The trp repressor system
Summary of
Operon
Regulatory
System