Regulation of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes

Abstract

Regulation of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes is a learning cycle activity designed for undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory genetics class. The majority of students in genetics are biology majors. Understanding how organisms regulate gene expression is foundational for many upper-level biology courses. For this activity, students are introduced to the topic by examining how genes that encode products that participate in the same pathway are organized into operons and how bacteria regulate transcription in response to changing environmental conditions. While the exact mechanisms/processes are different for eukaryotic organisms, the concept of regulation of transcription is the same: activator proteins and/or repressor proteins bind to specific regulatory elements encoded in DNA to up-regulate or down-regulate transcription. Therefore, this activity sets students up for a more in-depth study of gene expression in eukaryotic organisms later in the semester.

Level: Undergraduate
Setting: Classroom (2 – 3 50 minute class periods)
Activity Type: Learning Cycle
Discipline: Biology
Course: Genetics
Keywords: gene expression, operon, inducible operon, repressible operon, negative operon, positive operon