毒素-抗毒素系统的调控、生理功能及应用

Regulation,biological function and application of toxin-antitoxin systems

毒素-抗毒素(toxin-antitoxin,TA)系统是由抗毒素及其同源毒素组成的小遗传元件,毒素可以抑制细胞生长或诱导细胞死亡,抗毒素则可以中和毒素的毒性。根据TA系统的组成和抗毒素的作用方式,TA系统可分为Ⅰ~Ⅷ型共八类,其中Ⅱ型TA系统存在最广泛,调控机制研究得最清楚。TA系统可以维持质粒等遗传元件的稳定性,同时在压力应激、促进生物膜形成、维持细菌致病力、抗噬菌体等方面都扮演着重要角色。研究TA系统的调控与生理功能能丰富人们对于生物多样性的认知,对于微生物资源的开发和利用具有重要的科学意义与应用价值。基于毒素和抗毒素的特点,TA系统被应用于生物医学领域和生物技术领域。本文综述了TA系统的分类、调控机制、生理功能和应用并简单描述了TA系统目前研究面临的问题和未来展望。

The toxin-antitoxin(TA)system is a small genetic element composed of antitoxins and their cognate tox-ins.Toxins can inhibit cell growth or induce cell death,while antitoxins can neutralize the toxicity of toxins.The TA sys-tems can be divided into eight types(type I-VIII)based on their composition and antitoxin action mode,with typeⅡbe-ing the most popular and the regulation mechanism being the most clearly studied.The TA systems have the ability to maintain stability of plasmids and other genetic elements,and they also play important roles in stress response,biofilm formation,bacterial pathogenicity maintenance,anti-phage and so on.The study of the regulation and physiological func-tions of the TA systems can enrich people’s knowledge of biodiversity and has great scientific significance and application value for the development and utilization of microbial resources.Based on the characteristics of toxins and antitoxins,TA systems are used in biomedical and technological fields.In this paper,we provide a review of the TA systems in terms of their classification,regulatory mechanisms,biological roles and applications,and briefly discuss the current problems and future perspectives of research concerning the TA systems.