A recent paper (Li et al.) reports a novel RNA-based Cas-dependent toxin-antitoxin system with the effect of 'addicting' cells to the cassette. Broadly-defined addiction systems could stabilize diverse genomic features, raising the question of the role of selfish elements and intragenomic conflict in the evolution of biological complexity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2021.07.005 | DOI Listing |
Essays Biochem
December 2024
School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Microbiol Spectr
January 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, Florida, USA.
J Virol
November 2024
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
Toxin/antitoxin (TA) systems are present in nearly every prokaryotic genome and play the important physiological roles of phage inhibition by reducing metabolism (this includes persistence for the extreme case of complete cessation of metabolism), genetic element stabilization, and biofilm formation. TA systems have also been incorporated into other cell systems, such as CRISPR-Cas and phage quorum sensing. For the simplest and best-studied case, proteinaceous toxins and antitoxins (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrends Microbiol
October 2024
Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address:
The evolutionary arms race between bacteria and phages has driven the development of diverse anti-phage defense mechanisms. Recent studies have identified noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) as key players in bacteria-phage conflicts, including CRISPR-Cas, toxin-antitoxin (TA), and reverse transcriptase (RT)-based defenses; however, our understanding of their roles in immunity is still emerging. In this review, we explore the multifaceted roles of ncRNAs in bacterial immunity, offering insights into their contributions to defense and anti-defense mechanisms, their influence on immune regulatory networks, and potential biotechnological applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrends Biotechnol
November 2024
State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei 430062, China. Electronic address:
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