Toxin-antitoxin systems in bacterial pathogenesis

Toxin-Antitoxin (TA) systems are abundant in prokaryotes and play an important role in various biological processes such as plasmid maintenance, phage inhibition, stress response, biofilm formation, and dormant persister cell generation. TA loci are abundant in pathogenic intracellular micro-organisms and help in their adaptation to the harsh host environment such as nutrient deprivation, oxidation, immune response, and antimicrobials. Several studies have reported the involvement of TA loci in establishing successful infection, intracellular survival, better colonization, adaptation to host stresses, and chronic infection. Overall, the TA loci play a crucial role in bacterial virulence and pathogenesis. Nonetheless, there are some controversies about the role of TA system in stress response, biofilm and persister formation. In this review, we describe the role of the TA systems in bacterial virulence. We discuss the important features of each type of TA system and the recent discoveries identifying key contributions of TA loci in bacterial pathogenesis.

Automated summary

Toxin-Antitoxin (TA) systems are widely found in prokaryotes and play crucial roles in various biological processes, including plasmid maintenance, phage inhibition, stress response, biofilm formation, and dormant persister cell generation. These systems are particularly abundant in pathogenic intracellular micro-organisms and contribute to their adaptation to the harsh host environment, such as nutrient deprivation, oxidation, immune response, and antimicrobials. Despite some controversies, TA loci have been shown to be involved in successful infection, intracellular survival, colonization, and chronic infection, highlighting their importance in bacterial virulence and pathogenesis.