The lac operon is important in maintaining the breakdown of lactose. When there is no lactose to be metabolized, the Lac genes are "turned off". This is to conserve energy for other vital tasks. Genes are turned off when a lac repressor binds to the promoter region of the lac operon, disabling any ability to metabolize lactose. This inhibitory gene is the default for genes. When there is lactose, however, it must be metabolized. This is accomplished when lactose binds to the repressor, enabling the operon to work.
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