Fruit flies feed on fermenting fruit, which often contains a large amount of alc

Question

Fruit flies feed on fermenting fruit, which often contains a large amount of alcohol. If fruit flies are fed a diet that has high alcohol content, there is an increase in the amount of dehydrogenase, an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol, in the digestive tract of the fly. If no alcohol is present in the fermenting fruit, alcohol dehydrogenase is barely detectable in the fruit flies. Would you classify the gene encoding alcohol dehydrogenase as constitutive or regulated? Justify your answer. (Hint: check the definition of alcohol dehydrogenase) Fruit flies feed on fermenting fruit, which often contains a large amount of alcohol. If fruit flies are fed a diet that has high alcohol content, there is an increase in the amount of dehydrogenase, an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol, in the digestive tract of the fly. If no alcohol is present in the fermenting fruit, alcohol dehydrogenase is barely detectable in the fruit flies. Would you classify the gene encoding alcohol dehydrogenase as constitutive or regulated? Justify your answer. (Hint: check the definition of alcohol dehydrogenase) Fruit flies feed on fermenting fruit, which often contains a large amount of alcohol. If fruit flies are fed a diet that has high alcohol content, there is an increase in the amount of dehydrogenase, an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol, in the digestive tract of the fly. If no alcohol is present in the fermenting fruit, alcohol dehydrogenase is barely detectable in the fruit flies. Would you classify the gene encoding alcohol dehydrogenase as constitutive or regulated? Justify your answer. (Hint: check the definition of alcohol dehydrogenase)

Explanation / Answer

Genes that are expressed at all times in a tissue are referred to as constitutively expressed genes. They are required for basal metabolism, maintenance of structure and function of the organism.
Induced genes are expressed only at a certain temporal and spatial window in response to the presence or absence of a substrate/signal.

In the given case, it is clear that the level of alcohol dehydrogenase is sensitive to the alcohol levels in the diet. So, it is a regulated gene.

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