The communication factor EDF and the toxin-antitoxin module mazEF determine the mode of action of antibiotics
- PMID: 19090622
- PMCID: PMC2602726
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060319
The communication factor EDF and the toxin-antitoxin module mazEF determine the mode of action of antibiotics
Expression of concern in
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Expression of Concern: The Communication Factor EDF and the Toxin-Antitoxin Module mazEF Determine the Mode of Action of Antibiotics.PLoS Biol. 2021 May 10;19(5):e3001246. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001246. eCollection 2021 May. PLoS Biol. 2021. PMID: 33970898 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Abstract
It was recently reported that the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) is a common mechanism of cell death induced by bactericidal antibiotics. Here we show that triggering the Escherichia coli chromosomal toxin-antitoxin system mazEF is an additional determinant in the mode of action of some antibiotics. We treated E. coli cultures by antibiotics belonging to one of two groups: (i) Inhibitors of transcription and/or translation, and (ii) DNA damaging. We found that antibiotics of both groups caused: (i) mazEF-mediated cell death, and (ii) the production of ROS through MazF action. However, only antibiotics of the first group caused mazEF-mediated cell death that is ROS-dependent, whereas those of the second group caused mazEF-mediated cell death by an ROS-independent pathway. Furthermore, our results showed that the mode of action of antibiotics was determined by the ability of E. coli cells to communicate through the signaling molecule Extracellular Death Factor (EDF) participating in mazEF induction.
Conflict of interest statement
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Comment in
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Editorial Note: The Communication Factor EDF and the Toxin-Antitoxin Module mazEF Determine the Mode of Action of Antibiotics.PLoS Biol. 2023 Sep 18;21(9):e3002325. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002325. eCollection 2023 Sep. PLoS Biol. 2023. PMID: 37721929 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
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