Welcome to the terrifying world of addiction… in bacteria. While we tend to think that genes have been evolved to benefit us, the organism, toxinantitoxin systems in bacteria may suggest otherwise. It’s an interesting phenomenon with some fascinating potential biotechnological implications.

Sources:
Szekeres S, Dauti M, Wilde C, Mazel D, RoweMagnus DA (March 2007). "Chromosomal toxinantitoxin loci can diminish largescale genome reductions in the absence of selection". Molecular Microbiology. 63 (6): 1588–605
Mochizuki A, Yahara K, Kobayashi I, Iwasa Y (February 2006). "Genetic addiction: selfish gene's strategy for symbiosis in the genome". Genetics. 172 (2): 1309–23.
Christensen SK, Mikkelsen M, Pedersen K, Gerdes K (December 2001). "RelE, a global inhibitor of translation, is activated during nutritional stress". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 98 (25): 14328–33.
Fineran PC, Blower TR, Foulds IJ, Humphreys DP, Lilley KS, Salmond GP (January 2009). "The phage abortive infection system, ToxIN, functions as a proteinRNA toxinantitoxin pair". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 106 (3): 894–9
Maisonneuve E, Gerdes K (April 2014). "Molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial persisters". Cell. 157 (3): 539–48.
Mine N, Guglielmini J, Wilbaux M, Van Melderen L (April 2009). "The decay of the chromosomally encoded ccdO157 toxinantitoxin system in the Escherichia coli species". Genetics. 181 (4): 1557–66.

Images:
Toxo’s own work
Pexels
Pixabay
Rawpixel
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Irasutoya
Pngegg

Sound Effects:
Pixabay
Undertale OST

Music:
YouTube Public Library