Operail: Gene Regulation Simulation

 Discover how genes are controlled at the molecular level with this engaging train-themed AP Biology simulation. Operail transforms the complex world of gene regulation into an intuitive visual experience where DNA becomes railroad tracks, RNA polymerase is a locomotive, and repressor proteins are crossing gates.

  What You’ll Learn:

 Operon structure – Understand how promoters, operators, and structural genes work together as a coordinated unit

 Transcription mechanics – Watch RNA polymerase travel along DNA, producing mRNA “smoke” at each gene it transcribes

 Repressor regulation – See how repressor proteins bind to operators to block transcription, and how signals can remove them

  Operator mutations – Explore what happens when mutations prevent repressor binding

  Protein synthesis connection – Follow mRNA delivery to the ribosome “factory” for translation