The higBA-Type Toxin-Antitoxin System in IncC Plasmids Is a Mobilizable Ciprofloxacin-Inducible System.

ABSTRACT: A putative type II toxin-antitoxin (TA) module almost exclusively associated with conjugative IncC plasmids is homologous to the higBA family of TA systems found in chromosomes and plasmids of several species of bacteria. Despite the clinical significance and strong association with high-profile antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, the TA system of IncC plasmids remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we present evidence that IncC plasmids encode a bona fide HigB-like toxin that strongly inhibits bacterial growth and results in cell elongation in Escherichia coli. IncC HigB toxin acts as a ribosome-dependent endoribonuclease that significantly reduces the transcript abundance of a subset of adenine-rich mRNA transcripts. A glycine residue at amino acid position 64 is highly

SUBMITTER: Qi Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8265657 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature