The lac Operon: From a Bacterial Model to a Language for Gene Regulation

Authors

  • Maïka Harvey Faculté des sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18192/osurj.v5i1.7922

Abstract

This article offers a historical and conceptual commentary on the operon model formulated by Jacob and Monod from their study of the lac system in Escherichia coli in 1961. It revisits how the introduction of regulatory genes, operator sequences, and an unstable messenger, mRNA, made it possible to frame gene expression control as a logical problem based on decision circuits rather than a simple reading of DNA. The text shows that the lac operon remains a canonical example in molecular biology education, central to textbooks and assessment tools, and that it still shapes students’ initial representations of gene regulation. Finally, it highlights the lasting influence of the operon model on synthetic biology and systems biology, where repressor–operator logic, modular architectures, and the notion of regulatory circuits continue to inspire the design of artificial gene networks.

 

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Published

2026-06-17

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Commentaries

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