Comprehensive Functional Analysis of the 18 Vibrio cholerae N16961 Toxin-Antitoxin Systems Substantiates Their Role in Stabilizing the Superintegron.

ABSTRACT:

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The role of chromosomal toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, which are ubiquitous within the genomes of free-living bacteria, is still debated. We have scanned the Vibrio cholerae N16961 genome for class 2 TA genes and identified 18 gene pair candidates. Interestingly, all but one are located in the chromosome 2 superintegron (SI). The single TA found outside the SI is located on chromosome 1 and is related to the well-characterized HipAB family, which is known to play a role in antibiotic persistence. We investigated this clustering within the SI and its possible biological consequences by performing a comprehensive functional analysis on all of the putative TA systems. We demonstrate that the 18 TAs identified encode functional toxins and that their cognate antitoxins are abl

SUBMITTER: Iqbal N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4455273 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature