- The trp operon is necessary for the synthesis of tryptophan when it is not already available from the environment. When this occurs transcription is started by the switch controlling the trp operon, the genes are expressed and trptophan is …show more content…
Domain 4 is called 'the attenuator' due to it's presence being needed to reduce mRNA transcription when surrounded by high levels of tryptophan.
How does the trp operon work? – Five genes are necessary to produce tryptophan in E. coli. They are all beside one another in the operon. They are trp E, trp D, trp C, trp B and trp A. Tryptophan being present in large quantities results in the repressor protein being attached to the operator sequence by two tryptophan molecules. The RNA polymerase is then unable to transcribe the tryptophan genes. When tryptophan is not present the genes can be transcribed. This is due to the repressor protein not attaching to the operator.
The trp operon is a repressible system. Repressible and inducible systems have very different outcomes when the effector molecule attaches to the repressor. The force at which the repressor attaches to the operator increases greatly in repressible systems when the effector molecule binds to the repressor, and the repressor binds to the operator and blocks transcription. Looking at the trp operon, when tryptophan, which is the effector molecule, is added to the E.coli environment the system is terminated because the repressor binds at the