A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage Inhibition
Toxin/antitoxin (TA) systems are present in most prokaryote genomes. Toxins are almost exclusively proteins that reduce metabolism (but do not cause cell death), and antitoxins are either RNA or proteins that counteract the toxin or the RNA that encodes it. Although TA systems clearly stabilize mobi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01895/full |
| _version_ | 1818453404987424768 |
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| author | Sooyeon Song Thomas K. Wood |
| author_facet | Sooyeon Song Thomas K. Wood |
| author_sort | Sooyeon Song |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Toxin/antitoxin (TA) systems are present in most prokaryote genomes. Toxins are almost exclusively proteins that reduce metabolism (but do not cause cell death), and antitoxins are either RNA or proteins that counteract the toxin or the RNA that encodes it. Although TA systems clearly stabilize mobile genetic elements, after four decades of research, the physiological roles of chromosomal TA systems are less clear. For example, recent reports have challenged the notion of TA systems as stress-response elements, including a role in creating the dormant state known as persistence. Here, we present evidence that a primary physiological role of chromosomally encoded TA systems is phage inhibition, a role that is also played by some plasmid-based TA systems. This includes results that show some CRISPR-Cas system elements are derived from TA systems and that some CRISPR-Cas systems mimic the host growth inhibition invoked by TA systems to inhibit phage propagation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T21:38:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-353c0dedebcb425c960c1c0cfd2c1b48 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T21:38:27Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-353c0dedebcb425c960c1c0cfd2c1b482022-12-21T22:46:32ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2020-08-011110.3389/fmicb.2020.01895572034A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage InhibitionSooyeon Song0Thomas K. Wood1Department of Animal Science, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju-si, South KoreaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United StatesToxin/antitoxin (TA) systems are present in most prokaryote genomes. Toxins are almost exclusively proteins that reduce metabolism (but do not cause cell death), and antitoxins are either RNA or proteins that counteract the toxin or the RNA that encodes it. Although TA systems clearly stabilize mobile genetic elements, after four decades of research, the physiological roles of chromosomal TA systems are less clear. For example, recent reports have challenged the notion of TA systems as stress-response elements, including a role in creating the dormant state known as persistence. Here, we present evidence that a primary physiological role of chromosomally encoded TA systems is phage inhibition, a role that is also played by some plasmid-based TA systems. This includes results that show some CRISPR-Cas system elements are derived from TA systems and that some CRISPR-Cas systems mimic the host growth inhibition invoked by TA systems to inhibit phage propagation.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01895/fulltoxin/antitoxin systemsphageCRISPR-Castoxin–antitoxin systemplasmid |
| spellingShingle | Sooyeon Song Thomas K. Wood A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage Inhibition Frontiers in Microbiology toxin/antitoxin systems phage CRISPR-Cas toxin–antitoxin system plasmid |
| title | A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage Inhibition |
| title_full | A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage Inhibition |
| title_fullStr | A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage Inhibition |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage Inhibition |
| title_short | A Primary Physiological Role of Toxin/Antitoxin Systems Is Phage Inhibition |
| title_sort | primary physiological role of toxin antitoxin systems is phage inhibition |
| topic | toxin/antitoxin systems phage CRISPR-Cas toxin–antitoxin system plasmid |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01895/full |
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