operon

1 9.9

A group of genes on DNA that work together to control when proteins are made

noun
/ˈoʊpərɒn/

Specialized

: operón

Researchers have discovered that the genes in the same operon work together to control specific metabolic functions.

Examples

And we'll explore a little bit more what that means as a function of the Lac operon expression.
Eukaryotic gene regulation is not well understood even today, but it is clear that no model similar to the operon can account for the regulation of eukaryotic genes (see Sarkar 1996 for details).

Academic text (1996)
The lac operon in E. coli regulates the production of lactose-digesting enzymes.
An operon can be defined as a unit of genetic regulation in bacteria, encompassing multiple genes that are expressed together.

Surface Forms

operon singular

operons plural

Morphology

operon = operator (opaque) = oper + on

The form evokes 'oper-' (as in operate/operator) and the suffix '-on' (a scientific/nominal ending), so the relation to 'operation' or control is perceivable though not a productive everyday formation.

Etymology

Operon comes from the root oper-, which means 'work' and is the same root in operate and operation. So an operon is a group of genes that 'work' together as one unit.