Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and Biotechnology
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are widely present in bacterial genomes. They consist of stable toxins and unstable antitoxins that are classified into distinct groups based on their structure and biological activity. TA systems are mostly related to mobile genetic elements and can be easily acquired t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Toxins |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/15/6/380 |
| _version_ | 1797592513073119232 |
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| author | Lidia Boss Barbara Kędzierska |
| author_facet | Lidia Boss Barbara Kędzierska |
| author_sort | Lidia Boss |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are widely present in bacterial genomes. They consist of stable toxins and unstable antitoxins that are classified into distinct groups based on their structure and biological activity. TA systems are mostly related to mobile genetic elements and can be easily acquired through horizontal gene transfer. The ubiquity of different homologous and non-homologous TA systems within a single bacterial genome raises questions about their potential cross-interactions. Unspecific cross-talk between toxins and antitoxins of non-cognate modules may unbalance the ratio of the interacting partners and cause an increase in the free toxin level, which can be deleterious to the cell. Moreover, TA systems can be involved in broadly understood molecular networks as transcriptional regulators of other genes’ expression or modulators of cellular mRNA stability. In nature, multiple copies of highly similar or identical TA systems are rather infrequent and probably represent a transition stage during evolution to complete insulation or decay of one of them. Nevertheless, several types of cross-interactions have been described in the literature to date. This implies a question of the possibility and consequences of the TA system cross-interactions, especially in the context of the practical application of the TA-based biotechnological and medical strategies, in which such TAs will be used outside their natural context, will be artificially introduced and induced in the new hosts. Thus, in this review, we discuss the prospective challenges of system cross-talks in the safety and effectiveness of TA system usage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:52:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f0189aa772f46d492bccdc58d8c3b01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6651 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:52:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxins |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f0189aa772f46d492bccdc58d8c3b012023-11-18T12:55:35ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512023-06-0115638010.3390/toxins15060380Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and BiotechnologyLidia Boss0Barbara Kędzierska1Department of Bacterial Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, PolandDepartment of Bacterial Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, PolandToxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are widely present in bacterial genomes. They consist of stable toxins and unstable antitoxins that are classified into distinct groups based on their structure and biological activity. TA systems are mostly related to mobile genetic elements and can be easily acquired through horizontal gene transfer. The ubiquity of different homologous and non-homologous TA systems within a single bacterial genome raises questions about their potential cross-interactions. Unspecific cross-talk between toxins and antitoxins of non-cognate modules may unbalance the ratio of the interacting partners and cause an increase in the free toxin level, which can be deleterious to the cell. Moreover, TA systems can be involved in broadly understood molecular networks as transcriptional regulators of other genes’ expression or modulators of cellular mRNA stability. In nature, multiple copies of highly similar or identical TA systems are rather infrequent and probably represent a transition stage during evolution to complete insulation or decay of one of them. Nevertheless, several types of cross-interactions have been described in the literature to date. This implies a question of the possibility and consequences of the TA system cross-interactions, especially in the context of the practical application of the TA-based biotechnological and medical strategies, in which such TAs will be used outside their natural context, will be artificially introduced and induced in the new hosts. Thus, in this review, we discuss the prospective challenges of system cross-talks in the safety and effectiveness of TA system usage.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/15/6/380toxin-antitoxincross interactionscross-talkpractical useapplications |
| spellingShingle | Lidia Boss Barbara Kędzierska Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and Biotechnology Toxins toxin-antitoxin cross interactions cross-talk practical use applications |
| title | Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and Biotechnology |
| title_full | Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and Biotechnology |
| title_fullStr | Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and Biotechnology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and Biotechnology |
| title_short | Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems’ Cross-Interactions—Implications for Practical Use in Medicine and Biotechnology |
| title_sort | bacterial toxin antitoxin systems cross interactions implications for practical use in medicine and biotechnology |
| topic | toxin-antitoxin cross interactions cross-talk practical use applications |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/15/6/380 |
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