Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

DOI

10.1177/1535370216651938

Publication Title

Experimental Biology and Medicine

Volume

241

Issue

12

Pages

1332-1342

Abstract

Toxin-antitoxin systems are encoded by bacteria and archaea to enable an immediate response to environmental stresses, including antibiotics and the host immune response. During normal conditions, the antitoxin components prevent toxins from interfering with metabolism and arresting growth; however, toxin activation enables microbes to remain dormant through unfavorable conditions that might continue over millions of years. Intense investigations have revealed a multitude of mechanisms for both regulation and activation of toxin-antitoxin systems, which are abundant in pathogenic microorganisms. This minireview provides an overview of the current knowledge regarding type II toxin-antitoxin systems along with their clinical and environmental implications.

Rights

Green published open access on web of science.

Original Publication Citation

Coussens, N. P., & Daines, D. A. (2016). Wake me when it's over - Bacterial toxin-antitoxin proteins and induced dormancy. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 241(12), 1332-1342. doi:10.1177/1535370216651938

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