Question

If E. coli encounter an environment that is low in the concentration of glucose and the concentration of lactose, which of the following scenarios would result?

a) E. coli will activate the lac operon to metabolize lactose.
b) E. coli will activate the trp operon to metabolize tryptophan.
c) E. coli will remain in a dormant state.
d) E. coli will undergo apoptosis.

Answer 1

If E. coli encounter an environment that is low in the concentration of glucose and lactose, the lac operon will be activated to metabolize lactose.

Step-by-step explanation:

If E. coli encounter an environment that is low in the concentration of glucose and lactose, the lac operon will be activated to metabolize lactose.

The lac operon is usually silent when glucose is available, but when glucose levels drop, the lac operon becomes active and the enzymes needed to break down lactose are produced.

The catabolite activator protein (CAP) binds to the operator sequence to induce transcription of the lac operon when glucose levels are low and lactose is present.