Chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems in Pseudomonas putida are rather selfish than beneficial

Chromosomal toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are widespread genetic elements among bacteria, yet, despite extensive studies in the last decade, their biological importance remains ambivalent. The ability of TA-encoded toxins to affect stress tolerance when overexpressed supports the hypothesis of TA systems being associated with stress adaptation. However, the deletion of TA genes has usually no effects on stress tolerance, supporting the selfish elements hypothesis. Here, we aimed to evaluate the cost and benefits of chromosomal TA systems to Pseudomonas putida. We show that multiple TA systems do not confer fitness benefits to this bacterium as deletion of 13 TA loci does not influence stress tolerance, persistence or biofilm formation. Our results instead show that TA loci are costly and decrease the competitive fitness of P. putida. Still, the cost of multiple TA systems is low and detectable in certain conditions only. Construction of antitoxin deletion strains showed that only five TA systems code for toxic proteins, while other TA loci have evolved towards reduced toxicity and encode non-toxic or moderately potent proteins. Analysis of P. putida TA systems’ homologs among fully sequenced Pseudomonads suggests that the TA loci have been subjected to purifying selection and that TA systems spread among bacteria by horizontal gene transfer.