Question

In eukaryotes, genes often form an operon with a shared promoter.

(a) True

(b) False

I had been asked this question during an interview for a job.

The origin of the question is Promoter and Regulatory Elements in Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes in chapter Promoter and Regulatory Element Prediction of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

(b) False

In eukaryotes, genes typically do not form operons with a shared promoter as they do in prokaryotes. In prokaryotes, an operon consists of a cluster of genes that are transcribed together from a single promoter, often involved in related functions. However, in eukaryotic genomes, genes are usually transcribed individually, each having its own promoter and regulatory elements. Eukaryotic gene expression is more complex and involves multiple regulatory mechanisms such as enhancers, silencers, and various transcription factors that can regulate each gene independently.