Stress, Multi-cellularity, and the Generation of the Quorum Sensing Peptide EDF.

Bacterial communication via quorum sensing (QS) molecules, as well as toxin-antitoxin (TA) gene modules located on bacterial chromosomes are well-studied mechanisms. is a stress-induced TA system mediating cell death requiring a QS extracellular death factor (EDF), the pentapeptide NNWNN. MazF is an endoribonuclease specific for ACA sites.

Intracellular Localization of the Proteins Encoded by Some Type II Toxin-Antitoxin Systems in Escherichia coli.

Bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems encode a toxin and an antitoxin that counteracts the toxin. Such TA systems are found abundantly on bacterial chromosomes and on extrachromosomal genetic elements. The toxin is always a protein.