In the absence of lactose, what is the state of the lac operon?

In the absence of lactose, what is the state of the lac operon?

Step 1: Understand what the lac operon is. It is a group of genes in bacteria that help them digest lactose.
Step 2: Know that lactose is a sugar that can be used for energy.
Step 3: Realize that when there is no lactose present, the bacteria do not need to digest it.
Step 4: Learn about the lac repressor, which is a protein that can block the lac operon.
Step 5: In the absence of lactose, the lac repressor binds to a specific part of the operon called the operator.
Step 6: When the repressor is bound to the operator, it prevents the genes from being turned on.
Step 7: Therefore, the lac operon is inactive because the repressor blocks the process needed to make the proteins for digesting lactose.

No concepts available.