Seminar, Robert Schleif, The AraC Protein

The AraC Protein

Nearly five decades ago the AraC gene of Escherichia coli became of interest because genetic data suggested that it might be the first example of a regulatory protein that turned on expression of a gene. Subsequent biochemical study verified this suspicion and also revealed for the first time the phenomenon of DNA looping. Since then, our research as gradually homed in on the mechanisms that function in AraC and that are responsible for the protein’s shift in DNA binding properties in response to the binding of arabinose.