mazEF: a chromosomal toxin-antitoxin module that triggers programmed cell death in bacteria
- 1 October 2005
- journal article
- Published by The Company of Biologists in Journal of Cell Science
- Vol. 118 (19) , 4327-4332
- https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.02619
Abstract
MazEF is a toxin-antitoxin module located on the Escherichia coli chromosome and that of some other bacteria, including pathogens. mazF specifies for a stable toxin, MazF, and mazE specifies for a labile antitoxin, MazE, that antagonizes MazF. MazF is a sequence-specific mRNA endoribonuclease that initiates a programmed cell death pathway in response to various stresses. The mazEF -mediated death pathway can act as a defense mechanism that prevents the spread of bacterial phage infection, allowing bacterial populations to behave like multicellular organisms.Keywords
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