Summary Toxin/antitoxin (TA) loci are commonly found in mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and prophages. However, the physiological functions of these TA loci in prophages and cross‐regulation among these TA loci remain largely unexplored. Here, we characterized a newly discovered type II TA pair, ParE SO /CopA SO , in the CP4So prophage in Shewanella oneidensis . We demonstrated that ParE SO /CopA SO plays a critical r...

Summary Acquisition of genomic islands (GIs) plays a central role in the diversification and adaptation of bacteria. Some GIs can be mobilized in trans by integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) or conjugative plasmids if the GIs carry specific transfer‐related sequences. However, the transfer mechanism of GIs lacking such elements remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the transmissibility of a GI found in a co...