Mono- and multidomain defense toxins of the RelE/ParE superfamily.

ABSTRACT: Toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are widely distributed across prokaryotes, often existing in large numbers despite their associated fitness costs. Most type II TA modules are bicistronic operons encoding a monodomain toxin and its cognate protein antitoxin. The RelE/ParE superfamily encompasses toxins with a conserved Barnase-EndoU-ColicinE5/D-RelE (BECR) fold. Yet, their cellular targets differ remarkably: RelE toxins function as ribosome-dependent RNases, while ParE toxins act as DNA gyrase inhibitors. Using a comprehensive bioinformatics approach, this study analyzed 13 BECR-fold toxin families as classified in the Pfam database. Intriguingly, the ParE family was found to include a subcluster of mRNA-cleaving toxins, challenging its conventional role as solely DNA-targeting. This study ide

SUBMITTER: Gerdes K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11980606 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature