Harnessing bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems

Bacteria often encode diverse “toxin-antitoxin” loci, where toxins are negated by cognate antitoxins under regular growth conditions. When under cellular stress, such as nutrient deficiency or phage infection, the toxins are activated to either suppress the metabolism to prolong survival, or block the phage from replicating. We are investigating a range of toxins that target tRNAs, RNA metabolism and topoisomerases.

Exploring the large diversity of toxins will uncover novel biochemistry and modes of regulation, providing insight to bacterial physiology and potential new routes towards controlling bacterial growth and antibacterial therapies.