JB
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Brown, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Shaw, K. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Brown, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Shaw, K. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, November 2003, p. 6600-6608, Vol. 185, No. 22
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.22.6600-6608.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Novel Family of Escherichia coli Toxin-Antitoxin Gene Pairs

Jason M. Brown and Karen Joy Shaw*

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC, La Jolla, California 92121

Received 22 May 2003/ Accepted 25 August 2003

Bacterial toxin-antitoxin protein pairs (TA pairs) encode a toxin protein, which poisons cells by binding and inhibiting an essential enzyme, and an antitoxin protein, which binds the toxin and restores viability. We took an approach that did not rely on sequence homology to search for unidentified TA pairs in the genome of Escherichia coli K-12. Of 32 candidate genes tested, ectopic expression of 6 caused growth inhibition. In this report, we focus on the initial characterization of yeeV, ykfI, and ypjF, a novel family of toxin proteins. Coexpression of the gene upstream of each toxin restored the growth rate to that of the uninduced strain. Unexpectedly, we could not detect in vivo protein-protein interactions between the new toxin and antitoxin pairs. Instead, the antitoxins appeared to function by causing a large reduction in the level of cellular toxin protein.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC, 3210 Merryfield Row, La Jolla, CA 92121. Phone: (858) 784-3027. Fax: (858) 450-2094. E-mail: kshaw2{at}prdus.jnj.com.

Journal of Bacteriology, November 2003, p. 6600-6608, Vol. 185, No. 22
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.22.6600-6608.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:



Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. Infect. Immun. Eukaryot. Cell
Mol. Cell. Biol. J. Virol. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev.
ALL ASM JOURNALS

Copyright © 2003 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.