Generalized net model of the lac operon in bacterium E. coli

In this paper a Generalized Net (GN) model of the regulation of the lac operon in E. coli bacterium is presented. Prokaryotes, such the bacterium E. coli, have an efficient mechanism for metabolizing lactose. Three proteins that are important in lactose metabolism are all encoded in a single expressible unit of DNA, called the lac operon. The GN model, presented in this paper, describes the use of lactose as an energy source from E. coli. The net presents the turn on of several genes in the lac operon, which are required for lactose metabolism.