Characterization of a chromosomal type II toxin-antitoxin system mazEaFa in the Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria have evolved to survive stressful environmental changes by regulating growth, however, the underlying mechanism for this is obscure. The ability of chromosomal type II toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems to modulate growth or cell death has been documented in a variety of prokaryotes. A chromosomal mazEaFa locus of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 has been predicted as a putative mazEF TA system. Here we demonstrate that mazEaFa form a bicistronic operon that is co-transcribed under normal growth conditions. Overproduction of MazFa induced Anabaena growth arrest which could be neutralized by co-expression of MazEa. MazFa also inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli cells, and this effect could be overcome by simultaneous or subsequent expression of MazEa via formation of the MazEa-MazFa compl

SUBMITTER: Ning D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3581536 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature