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ToxIN system

traitmech:000226 · CLASS · PROPOSED

An abortive infection system in which an organism possesses a toxIN type III protein-RNA toxin-antitoxin locus whose ToxN toxin and tandem ToxI RNA antitoxins constitute a two-component Abi module that inhibits bacterial growth and restricts phage propagation.

Trait evidence (8)

  • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106
    A highly effective 2-gene Abi system from the phytopathogen Erwinia carotovora subspecies atroseptica, designated ToxIN, is described

    Fineran et al. define ToxIN as a two-gene abortive infection system from the native pECA1039 plasmid.

  • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106
    ToxN inhibiting bacterial growth and the tandemly repeated ToxI RNA antitoxin counteracting the toxicity

    Fineran et al. connect the ToxN protein toxin and tandem ToxI RNA repeats to the toxin-antitoxin behavior of ToxIN.

  • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106
    ToxIN defines an entirely new TA class that functions via a novel protein-RNA mechanism

    Fineran et al. support ToxIN as the defining member of the type III protein-RNA toxin-antitoxin class.

  • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106
    All of our data are consistent with ToxIN functioning as a phage Abi system

    Fineran et al. ruled out adsorption blockade and a restriction-modification explanation before classifying ToxIN as abortive infection.

  • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106
    ToxN functions through a reversible growth-inhibiting (bacteriostatic) mechanism

    Fineran et al. support host growth inhibition as the ToxN toxin output.

  • DOI:10.1128/JB.00720-09
    Designated ToxIN, this two-component abortive infection system acts as a toxin-antitoxin module

    Blower et al. place the two-component ToxIN module in the abortive infection class.

  • DOI:10.1128/JB.00720-09
    We determined the minimal ToxI RNA sequence in the native operon that is both necessary and sufficient for abortive infection and to counteract the toxicity of ToxN

    Blower et al. connect ToxI RNA repeat dosage to both ToxN neutralization and the native abortive-infection phenotype.

  • DOI:10.1128/JB.00720-09
    this two-component Abi system operates as a novel protein-RNA toxin-antitoxin (TA) system to abort phage infection in multiple gram-negative bacteria

    Blower et al. support the ToxIN system as an Abi trait that can operate beyond the source Erwinia strain.

ToxIN type III toxin-antitoxin activity restricts phage propagation

Evidence-backed process sketch linking a toxIN locus to type III toxin-antitoxin activity, ToxN-dependent growth inhibition, restricted phage propagation, and abortive-infection system possession.

NONMECHANISTIC · The graph captures ToxIN at the system level without asserting a universal phage activator, an exact molecular target for ToxN, or the stoichiometry of ToxI neutralization.

ToxIN type III toxin-antitoxin activity restricts phage propagation Interactive directed graph showing evidence-backed causal relationships for ToxIN system.

Edge evidence

  • toxIN locus contributes to ToxIN type III toxin-antitoxin activity RO:0002326

    The toxIN locus encodes the defining type III protein-RNA toxin-antitoxin module.

    • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106 ToxIN defines an entirely new TA class that functions via a novel protein-RNA mechanism Fineran et al. show that ToxIN constitutes a protein-RNA toxin-antitoxin system.
  • ToxIN type III toxin-antitoxin activity contributes to ToxN-dependent growth inhibition RO:0002326

    The ToxIN toxin-antitoxin module couples ToxN growth inhibition to ToxI RNA antitoxin counteraction.

    • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106 ToxN inhibiting bacterial growth and the tandemly repeated ToxI RNA antitoxin counteracting the toxicity Fineran et al. identify ToxN as the toxic component and ToxI repeats as RNA antitoxins.
  • toxIN locus contributes to restricted phage propagation RO:0002326

    The native toxIN locus contributes to abortive restriction of phage propagation.

    • DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106 All of our data are consistent with ToxIN functioning as a phage Abi system Fineran et al. connect the toxIN locus to the abortive-infection phage resistance output.
  • restricted phage propagation confers ToxIN system METPO:2007700

    Restriction of phage propagation realizes the ToxIN abortive-infection defense trait.

    • DOI:10.1128/JB.00720-09 this two-component Abi system operates as a novel protein-RNA toxin-antitoxin (TA) system to abort phage infection in multiple gram-negative bacteria Blower et al. describe ToxIN as a two-component Abi system that aborts phage infection.
  • ToxIN system is a abortive infection system rdfs:subClassOf

    ToxIN system possession is an abortive-infection-system trait.

    • DOI:10.1128/JB.00720-09 Designated ToxIN, this two-component abortive infection system acts as a toxin-antitoxin module Blower et al. place ToxIN in the abortive infection class of phage defense.

Provenance

Identifier source
TraitMech local identifier
Definition source
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106

Parent traits (1)

kg-microbe context

No kg-microbe node embedding matched this record in the 2026-04-25 deepwalk.

Canonical examples (1)

Organisms cited as exemplars of this trait. Taxon ids are NCBITaxon and link out to the NCBI record.

  • Pectobacterium atrosepticum NCBITaxon:29471 DOI:10.1073/pnas.0808832106 Fineran et al. isolated pECA1039 from Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica 1039, designated its two-gene Abi system ToxIN, and showed that the native toxIN locus conferred phage resistance in strain SCRI 1043.

Curation history

  1. · MINTED_TRAITMECH_ID · codex

    Minted ToxIN system as a DOI-backed GENOMICS TraitRecord under the abortive infection system parent after an ignored-and-hidden duplicate review found no exact live TraitMech, METPO, or prior proposal record; the replacement placeholder is reserved in proposals/metpo_traitmech_v103.