The lactose (lac) operon in E. coli is an example of a gene that is repressed when lactose is not available in a cell. In 3-5 sentences, explain what this means, using correct terminology.
The lactose operon in E. coli is a group of genes that work together to metabolize lactose. When lactose is not available in a cell, the gene responsible for producing the enzymes needed to metabolize lactose is repressed. Repression refers to the inhibition of gene expression. In this case, the lac operon is turned off or prevented from being transcribed into mRNA, hence inhibiting the production of lactose-metabolizing enzymes.
