# Structural gene

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The terms '''structural gene''' and '''regulatory gene''' date back to the mid-1960s and the work on the [''lac'' operon](/source/Lac_operon) and the synthesis of proteins in ''[E. coli](/source/E._coli)''. In that system, a single [regulatory region](/source/Regulatory_sequence) was detected that affected the production of the proteins now known to compose the ''lac'' operon.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Pardee|first1=Arthur B.|last2=Jacob|first2=François|last3=Monod|first3=Jacques|date=1959-06-01|title=The genetic control and cytoplasmic expression of "Inducibility" in the synthesis of β-galactosidase by E. coli|journal=Journal of Molecular Biology|volume=1|issue=2|pages=165–178|doi=10.1016/S0022-2836(59)80045-0}}</ref> At that time, the function of the regulatory region was not known but it was referred to as a regulatory "gene" in order to distinguish it from the known protein-coding genes.<ref name = Watson1965>{{ cite book | vauthors = Watson JD | date = 1965 | title = Molecular Biology of the Gene | publisher = W.A. Benjamin, Inc. | place = New York, NY, USA }}</ref>  

We now know that the original regulatory "gene" encodes a [regulatory protein](/source/Regulation_of_gene_expression) and that other parts of the regulatory region are not genes but [transcription factor](/source/transcription_factor) binding sites.  

The terms "structural gene" is no longer used in [molecular biology](/source/molecular_biology) but [regulatory gene](/source/regulator_gene) is still sometimes used to refer to genes that produce regulatory molecules (protein or RNA). 

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Structural Gene}}
Category:Genes
Category:Gene expression

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Structural gene](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_gene) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_gene?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.