Toxin-antitoxin vapBC locus participates in formation of the dormant state in Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) loci are widely spread in bacterial plasmids and chromosomes. Toxins affect important functions of bacterial cells such as translation, replication and cell-wall synthesis, whereas antitoxins are toxin inhibitors. Participation in formation of the dormant state in bacteria is suggested to be a possible function of toxins.