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Investigate the process of gene regulation in eukaryotic cells by analyzing the transcriptional control of the lac operon analog in yeast. The lac operon system in E. coli is well-studied, but you are tasked with exploring a similar system in yeast that controls the expression of genes involved in lactose metabolism.

1. Identify and describe the key regulatory elements (promoters, enhancers, silencers) that might be involved in the yeast operon-like system. How do these elements interact to control gene expression?
2. Propose an experiment using CRISPR/Cas9 to delete a specific enhancer sequence upstream of the lactose-metabolizing gene in yeast. Predict the effects of this deletion on gene expression and overall lactose metabolism in the yeast cells.
3. Analyze the potential role of histone modifications (e.g., acetylation, methylation) in the regulation of this yeast operon. How could these modifications influence the accessibility of transcription factors to the DNA?
4. Compare and contrast the regulation of the lac operon in E. coli with this hypothetical system in yeast. What are the key similarities and differences in terms of regulatory mechanisms and environmental responsiveness?
5. Discuss the implications of this regulatory system on the evolution of metabolic pathways in eukaryotes. How might the ability to regulate such pathways in response to environmental changes contribute to the adaptive evolution of yeast?
6. Design a series of experiments to measure the transcriptional activity of the lactose-metabolizing gene in yeast under different environmental conditions (e.g., presence vs. absence of lactose, different glucose concentrations). What techniques would you use, and what results would you expect?