Open access
Sep 2026
Acquisition and erosion of toxin–antitoxin systems in bacterial chromosomes
A stepwise model for toxin–antitoxin evolution in bacterial chromosomes is proposed: initial acquisition mediated by mobile genetic elements, preferential integration into permissive genomic regions, subsequent genetic streamlining of linked loci, and progressive gene loss.
Ludovic Belot, Amaury Payelleville, D. Jurėnas et al.
· Molecular biology and evolut... · 0 citations