Background & Objective: Persister cells are defined as a subpopulation of bacteria that are capable of reducing their metabolism and switching to dormancy in stress conditions. Persister cells formation has been attributed to numerous mechanisms, including stringent response and Toxin-Antitoxin (TA) systems. This study aimed to investigate the hypothetical role of TA systems in...

Abstract Background Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, abundant in prokaryotes, are composed of a toxin gene and its cognate antitoxin. Several toxins implied to affect the physiological state stress tolerance bacteria population. We previously identified chromosomally encoded hok - sok type I TA system Erwinia amylovora , causative agent fire blight disease on pome fruit trees. A high-level inducti...

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are gene pairs specifying for a toxin and its antitoxin and are found on the chromosomes of many bacteria including pathogens. Here we report how each of five such TA systems in E. coli affect bacterial cell death differently in liquid media and during biofilm formation. Of all these systems, only the TA system mazEF mediated cell death both in liquid media and duri...

conclusions based on the presence of ta systems in the majority of p. aeruginosa isolates, these could be used as a novel target for antimicrobial therapy. results our results showed that in the 174 p. aeruginosa isolates, relbe and higba were universal, but parde was less prevalent. both of the flanking regions of the parde genes in all positive isolates were amplified. the flanking regions of...

Microbes are known to withstand environmental stresses by using chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems. MazEF is one of the most extensively studied toxin-antitoxin systems. In stressful environments, MazF toxins modulate translation by cleaving single-stranded RNAs in a sequence-specific fashion. Previously, a chromosomal gene located at DR0417 in Deinococcus radiodurans was predicted to code for...

Interacting proteins typically coevolve, and the identification of coevolving amino acids can pinpoint residues required for interaction specificity. This approach often assumes that an interface-disrupting mutation in one protein drives selection of a compensatory mutation in its partner during evolution. However, this model requires a non-functional intermediate state prior to the compensator...

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are small genetic elements ubiquitous in prokaryotic genomes that encode toxic proteins targeting various vital cellular functions. Typically, toxin activity is controlled by adjacently encoded protein or RNA antitoxins and unleashed as a consequence of genetic fluctuations or stressful conditions. Whereas some TA systems interfere with replication or cell wall synt...

Specific serum and mucosal antitoxin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in rats immunized with Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT). Immunization by means of a parenteral prime followed by peroral boosts was the only approach that aroused titers of both serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antitoxin and mucosal secretory IgA antitoxin that were increased fourfold or m...

In the USA, the potency of commercially prepared equine tetanus antitoxin is determined by the method outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, Part 113.451. In the current test, commercial equine tetanus antitoxin is tested by a toxin neutralization test in guinea pigs. The in vivo test measures antitoxin content through effectiveness of protection of guinea pigs injected with dilu...

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems encoded in prokaryotic genomes fall into five types, typically composed of two distinct small molecules, an endotoxic protein and a cis-encoded antitoxin of ribonucleic or proteinaceous nature. In silico analysis revealed seven putative type I and three putative type II TA systems in the genome of the nonpathogenic species strain Staphylococcus equorum SE3. Among th...