What does arabinose do to the transformed bacteria?

Arabinose acts as an inducer for specific genes in transformed bacteria, particularly when the plasmid contains the ara operon or a similar regulatory system. When arabinose is present, it binds to regulatory proteins, activating the promoter and initiating transcription of the target gene. This allows researchers to control the timing and level of expression of the introduced gene, such as producing a fluorescent protein or a specific enzyme in response to arabinose addition.