Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Gene System as Containment Control in Yeast Cells

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 yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of therelE gene was highly toxic to yeast cells. However, expression of the relB gene counteracted the effect ofrelE 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.

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