Toxin-Antitoxin Modules Are Pliable Switches Activated by Multiple Protease Pathways

• Published in: Toxins Vol. 8; no. 7; p. 214
• Main Authors: Muthuramalingam, Meenakumari, White, John C, Bourne, Christina R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 09.07.2016; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antitoxins - metabolism; Bacteria - drug effects; Bacteria - enzymology; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - pathogenicity; bacterial physiology; Bacterial Toxins - metabolism; cellular proteases; Endopeptidase Clp - metabolism; environmental adaptation; Enzyme Activation; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; persister cells; phenotypic changes; post-segregational killing; protease adaptors; Protease La - metabolism; Proteolysis; Review; Signal Transduction - drug effects; toxin-antitoxin; bacterial physiology; cellular proteases; phenotypic changes; post-segregational killing; toxin-antitoxin; environmental adaptation; protease adaptors; persister cells

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are bacterial regulatory switches that facilitate conflicting outcomes for cells by promoting a pro-survival phenotypic adaptation and/or by directly mediating cell death, all through the toxin activity upon degradation of antitoxin. Intensive study has revealed specific...