Chew Chieng

Sep 15, 2023 | academic.oup.com | Wai Ting |Ramiro de Maeztu |Maria Pilar |Chew Chieng

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are entities found in the prokaryotic genomes, with eight reported types. Type II, the best characterised, is comprised of two genes organised as an operon. Whereas toxins impair growth, the cognate antitoxin neutralises its activity. TAs appeared to be involved in plasmid maintenance, persistence, virulence, and defence against bacteriophages. Most Type II toxins target the bacterial translational machinery.