Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Molecular Microbiology and Infection Biology, Madrid, Spain.
FEBS J. 2010 Aug;277(15):3097-117. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2010.07722.x. Epub 2010 Jun 21.
Toxin-antitoxin systems, as found in bacterial plasmids and their host chromosomes, play a role in the maintenance of genetic information, as well as in the response to stress. We describe the basic biology of the parD/kiskid toxin-antitoxin system of Escherichia coli plasmid R1, with an emphasis on regulation, toxin activity, potential applications in biotechnology and its relationships with related toxin-antitoxin systems. Special reference is given to the ccd toxin-antitoxin system of plasmid F because its toxin shares structural homology with the toxin of the parD system. Inter-relations with related toxin-antitoxin systems present in the E. coli chromosome, such as the parD homologues chpA/mazEF and chpB and the relBE system, are also reviewed. The combined structural and functional information that is now available on all these systems, as well as the ongoing controversy regarding the role of the chromosomal toxin-antitoxin loci, have made this review especially timely.
毒素-抗毒素系统存在于细菌质粒及其宿主染色体中，在遗传信息的维持以及对压力的反应中发挥作用。我们描述了大肠杆菌质粒 R1 的 parD/kiskid 毒素-抗毒素系统的基本生物学特性，重点介绍了调控、毒素活性、在生物技术中的潜在应用及其与相关毒素-抗毒素系统的关系。特别提到了质粒 F 的 ccd 毒素-抗毒素系统，因为它的毒素与 parD 系统的毒素具有结构同源性。还回顾了与大肠杆菌染色体中存在的相关毒素-抗毒素系统的相互关系，如 parD 同源物 chpA/mazEF 和 chpB 以及 relBE 系统。现在所有这些系统都有了结构和功能方面的综合信息，而且关于染色体毒素-抗毒素基因座的作用也存在争议，这使得本综述尤其及时。
