The lac operon is shown with the lac repressor bound to the operator in the absence of lactose.
What direct effect does the binding of allolactose to the lac repressor have?
- Acheck_circle
It causes the repressor to release the operator, allowing transcription of lacZ, lacY, and lacA.
- B
It triggers degradation of the repressor mRNA.
- C
It activates the repressor, increasing operator binding.
- D
It binds the promoter to recruit RNA polymerase.
Explanation
Allolactose, the inducer derived from lactose, binds the lac repressor and changes its conformation; the repressor releases the operator and RNA polymerase can transcribe the lac structural genes.