How do bacteria avoid wasteful production of unnecessary proteins when their genes are always on? The answer lies in regulating the operon. As trp levels increase, trp binds to trpR, causing a ...

The lac operon genes are expressed to digest the available lactose until this sugar is depleted, at which point the operon shuts down. However, the lac operon was far from solved. “ [It] turned out ...

Bacterial genetics is based on the ability to select for rare mutants among large populations (1 in >10 10) on the basis of the ability of the bacteria to survive lethal challenges, grow in the ...

The 92-year-old bacterial geneticist who helped pioneer the study of gene regulation has passed away. A series of rodent experiments showed that even with abundant food and water, personal space is ...