#Question id: 4109
#Unit 3. Fundamental Processes
When E. coli is grown on a medium containing a mixture of glucose and lactose, it proliferates with complex kinetics. The bacteria proliferate faster at the beginning than at the end, and there is a lag between these two phases when they virtually stop dividing. Assays of the concentrations of the two sugars in the medium show that glucose falls to very low levels after a few cell doublings, but lactose remains high until near the end of the experimental time course (not shown). Although the concentration of lactose is high throughout most of the experiment, β-galactosidase, which is regulated as part of the Lac operon, is not induced until more than 100 minutes have passed. Choose correct explanation why the Lac operon is not induced by lactose during the rapid initial phase of bacterial proliferation
A. The rapid bacterial growth at the beginning of the experiment results from the metabolism of glucose. The slower growth at the end results from metabolism of lactose.
B. CAP and the Lac repressor mediate induction in the situation
C. The bacteria stopped growing in the middle of the experiment because they ran out of glucose but did not yet possess the enzymes necessary for lactose metabolism
D. Induction of the Lac operon requires that two conditions be met: lactose must be present and glucose must be absent.
#Question id: 4108
#Unit 3. Fundamental Processes
The yeast Gal4 transcription activator comprises two domains: a DNA binding domain and an activation domain. The DNA-binding domain allows Gal4 to bind to appropriate DNA sequences located near genes that are required for metabolism of the sugar galactose. The activation domain binds to components of the transcriptional machinery (including RNA polymerase), attracting them to the promoter, so the regulated genes can be turned on. In the absence of Gal4, the galactose genes cannot be turned on. When Gal4 is expressed normally, the genes can be maximally activated. When Gal4 is massively overexpressed, however, the galactose genes are turned off. Choose correct explanation for this regulation?
A. In order for Gal4 to work properly, the DNA-bound Gal4 recruits many proteins, including RNA polymerase, to the promoter.
B. When there is too much Gal4 in the cell, the free and DNA-bound Gal4 will compete for the limited quantities of these other components.
C. In the presence of excess Gal4, those components are tied up in unproductive complexes with free Gal4, thereby preventing their recruitment to the promoter.
D. cells that massively overexpress Gal4 grow poorly because of the reduced availability of critical components of the transcription machinery.
E. Over concentration of Gal4 prevent suppressors to bind with DNA
#Question id: 4107
#Unit 3. Fundamental Processes
Imagine that you have created a fusion between the Trp operon, which encodes the enzymes for tryptophan biosynthesis, and the Lac operon, which encodes the enzymes necessary for lactose utilization. Under which set of conditions (A–F below) will β-galactosidase be expressed in the strain that carries the fused operon?
A. Only when lactose and glucose are both absent.
B. Only when lactose and glucose are both present.
C. Only when lactose is absent and glucose is present.
D. Only when lactose is present and glucose is absent.
E. Only when tryptophan is absent.
F. Only when tryptophan is present.
#Question id: 4106
#Unit 3. Fundamental Processes
When bacteriophage lambda infects a sensitive bacterium, one of the first messenger RNA species synthesized is very short, beginning at a site P L and extending just through an adjacent gene N. After the appearance of the gene N protein, messages become much longer, still beginning at PL but extending far beyond gene N. The N gene encodes
#Question id: 4105
#Unit 3. Fundamental Processes
The GAL4 protein activates transcription from the GAL1 promoter in yeast. To bind to DNA, the protein utilizes a
#Question id: 4104
#Unit 3. Fundamental Processes
Consider following statements for catalytic mechanism of RNA polymerase
A. RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase. The reaction involves two Mg2+ ions, coordinated to the phosphate groups of the incoming nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs)
B. Three Asp residues, which are highly conserved in the RNA polymerases of all species. One Mg2+ ion facilitates attack by the 39-hydroxyl group on the phosphate of the NTP; the other Mg2+ ion facilitates displacement of the pyrophosphate, and both metal ions stabilize the pentacovalent transition state.
C. About 17 bp of DNA are unwound at any given time. RNA polymerase and the transcription bubble move from left to right along the DNA as shown, facilitating RNA synthesis. Movement of an RNA polymerase along DNA tends to create negative supercoils (overwound DNA) ahead of the transcription bubble and positive supercoils (underwound DNA) behind it.
D. The RNA polymerase is in close contact with the DNA ahead of the transcription bubble as well as with the separated DNA strands and the RNA within and immediately behind the bubble. A channel in the protein funnels new NTPs to the polymerase active site. The polymerase footprint encompasses about 35 bp of DNA during elongation.