The Streptococcus pneumoniaeyefM-yoeB and relBE Toxin-Antitoxin Operons Participate in Oxidative Stress and Biofilm Formation.

ABSTRACT: Type II (proteic) toxin-antitoxin systems (TAs) are widely distributed among bacteria and archaea. They are generally organized as operons integrated by two genes, the first encoding the antitoxin that binds to its cognate toxin to generate a harmless protein⁻protein complex. Under stress conditions, the unstable antitoxin is degraded by host proteases, releasing the toxin to achieve its toxic effect. In the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae we have characterized four TAs: pezAT, relBE, yefM-yoeB, and phD-doc, although the latter is missing in strain R6. We have assessed the role of the two yefM-yoeB and relBE systems encoded by S. pneumoniae R6 by construction of isogenic strains lacking one or two of the operons, and by complementation assays. We have analyzed the phenotype

SUBMITTER: Chan WT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6162744 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature