noun
- a group of genes that are regulated together and transcribed as a single unit in prokaryotes
Usage: biology; genetics
Examples
- The lac operon in E. coli controls the production of enzymes needed to metabolize lactose.
- Scientists studied how the trp operon regulates tryptophan synthesis in bacteria.
- An operon consists of structural genes along with regulatory sequences.
- The discovery of the operon model helped explain gene regulation in prokaryotes.
- When glucose is present, the lac operon is typically repressed.
- Operons are found in bacteria but not in eukaryotic cells.