Role of VapBC4 toxin-antitoxin system of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius in heat stress adaptation

Abstract: Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are important for stress adaptation in prokaryotes, including persistence, antibiotic resistance, pathogenicity, and biofilm formation. Toxins can cause cell death, reversible growth stasis, and direct inhibition of crucial cellular processes through various mechanisms, while antitoxins neutralize the effects of toxins. In bacteria, these systems have been studied in detail, whereas their function in archaea remains elusive. During heat stress, the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius exhibited an increase in the expression of several bicistronic type II vapBC TA systems, with the highest expression observed in the vapBC4 system. In the current study, we performed a comprehensive biochemical characterization of the VapBC4 TA system, establishing it as a bonafide type II toxin-antitoxin system. The VapC4 toxin is shown to have high-temperature catalyzed RNase activity specific for mRNA and rRNA, while the VapB4 antitoxin inhibits the toxic activity of VapC4 by interacting with it. VapC4 toxin expression led to heat-induced persister-like cell formation, allowing the cell to cope with the stress. Furthermore, this study explored the impact of vapBC4 deletion on biofilm formation, whereby deletion of vapC4 led to increased biofilm formation, suggesting its role in regulating biofilm formation. Thus, during heat stress, the liberated VapC4 toxin in cells could potentially signal a preference for persister cell formation over biofilm growth. Thus, our findings shed light on the diverse roles of the VapC4 toxin in inhibiting translation, inducing persister cell formation, and regulating biofilm formation in S. acidocaldarius, enhancing our understanding of TA systems in archaea

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: mBio. - 15, 12 (2024) , e02753-24, ISSN: 2150-7511

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Freiburg
• (who): Universität
• (when): 2024
• Creator: Bhowmick, Arghya ; Recalde, Alejandra ; Bhattacharyya, Chandrima ; Banerjee, Ankita ; Das, Jagriti ; Rodriguez-Cruz, Ulises E. ; Albers, Sonja Verena ; Ghosh, Abhrajyoti

Further information

• DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02753-24
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-2610284
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:33 AM CEST