Toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems are typically composed of a stable toxin and a labile antitoxin; the latter counteracts the toxicity of the former under suitable conditions. TA systems are classified into eight types based on the nature and molecular modes of action of the antitoxin component so fa...
Initially, it was reported that only bacterial cells inheriting the toxin–antitoxin (TA) operon from their parent cells could survive normally. Thus, TA systems were initially recognized to be involved in the maintenance of plasmids in bacteria [8]. Subsequently, it was revealed that TA systems...