Welcome to the terrifying world of addiction… in bacteria. While we tend to think that genes have been evolved to benefit us, the organism, toxin-antitoxin systems in bacteria may suggest otherwise. It’s an interesting phenomenon with some fascinating potential biotechnological implications.
Sources:
Szekeres S, Dauti M, Wilde C, Mazel D, Rowe-Magnus DA (March 2007). "Chromosomal toxin-antitoxin loci can diminish large-scale genome reductions in the absence of selection". Molecular Microbiology. 63 (6): 1588-605
Mochizuki A, Yahara K, Kobayashi I, Iwasa Y (February 2006). "Genetic addiction: selfish gene's strategy for symbiosis in the genome". Genetics. 172 (2): 1309-23.
Christensen SK, Mikkelsen M, Pedersen K, Gerdes K (December 2001). "RelE, a global inhibitor of translation, is activated during nutritional stress". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 98 (25): 14328-33.
Fineran PC, Blower TR, Foulds IJ, Humphreys DP, Lilley KS, Salmond GP (January 2009). "The phage abortive infection system, ToxIN, functions as a protein-RNA toxin-antitoxin pair". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 106 (3): 894-9
Maisonneuve E, Gerdes K (April 2014). "Molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial persisters". Cell. 157 (3): 539-48.
Mine N, Guglielmini J, Wilbaux M, Van Melderen L (April 2009). "The decay of the chromosomally encoded ccdO157 toxin-antitoxin system in the Escherichia coli species". Genetics. 181 (4): 1557-66.
Images:
Toxo’s own work
Pexels
Pixabay
Rawpixel
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Irasutoya
Pngegg
Sound Effects:
Pixabay
Undertale OST
Music:
KZitem Public Library
Негізгі бет Can Bacteria Experience Addiction?
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