Question

Explain how the Toxin-Anti-toxin system could promote maintenance of the biofilm and persister cells. What does this mean regarding exposure and reaction to antibiotic treatment?

Answer 1

TA systems have a major role in gene regulation like processes of dna replication, transcription, transcriptions regulation etc. Thus , helping in biofilm promotion and persistent cell mantainance in population.

Major roles played-

1) Apoptosis- caused by TA systems leads to alleusteric effect in the population and dead cells help in biofilm formation due it's releases.

It also helps jn prevention from bacteriophage infection to spr ad to other bacteria.

2) Transcriptions regulation and plasmid count mainantinace- this helps in virulance as it helps in maintainance of plasmids which help in persister cell maintainance and resistance and immunity.

Thus, these cells forming such mechanisms are not much effected by antibiotic treatment and leadjng to induction of formation of persister cells post treatement and induction of TA systems using quorum sensing.