Bacterial toxin-antitoxin gene system as containment control in yeast cells

P Kristoffersen, GB Jensen, K Gerdes, J Piskur

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The potential of a bacterial toxin-antitoxin gene system for use in containment control in eukaryotes was explored. The Escherichia coli relE and relB genes were expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Expression of the relE gene was highly toxic to yeast cells. However, expression of the relB gene counteracted the effect of relE to some extent, suggesting that toxin-antitoxin interaction also occurs in S. cerevisiae, Thus, bacterial toxin-antitoxin gene systems also have potential applications in the control of cell proliferation in eukaryotic cells, especially in those industrial fermentation processes in which the escape of genetically modified cells would be considered highly risky.
Original languageEnglish
JournalApplied and Environmental Microbiology
Volume66
Issue number12
Pages (from-to)5524-5526
Number of pages3
ISSN0099-2240
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2000
Externally publishedYes

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