Synchronized switching of multiple toxin-antitoxin modules by (p)ppGpp fluctuation.

ABSTRACT: Toxin-antitoxin (TA) loci are widespread in bacteria including important pathogenic species. Recent studies suggest that TA systems play a key role in persister formation. However, the persistence phenotype shows only weak dependence on the number of TA systems, i.e. they are functionally redundant. We use a mathematical model to investigate the interaction of multiple TA systems in the switching between growth and persistence. We explore two scenarios: (i) TA systems are bistable and each TA system experiences its own noise and (ii) the noise in the level of common stress signal (e.g. (p)ppGpp) coordinates all TA systems simultaneously. We find that in the first scenario the exit from the persister state strongly depends on the number of TA systems. However in the second case, we could re

SUBMITTER: Tian C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5737467 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature