YafQ is a family of bacterial toxin ribonucleases of type II toxin-antitoxin systems. The E.coli gene is expressed from the dinB operon [1,2]. The cognate antitoxin for the E. coli protein is DinJ, in family RelB_antitoxin, Pfam:PF02604.

1: Escherichia coli dinJ-yafQ genes act as a toxin-antitoxin module. Motiejunaite R, Armalyte J, Markuckas A, Suziedeliene E; FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2007;268:112-119. PMID:17263853

2: Bacterial toxin YafQ is an endoribonuclease that associates with the ribosome and blocks translation elongation through sequence-specific and frame-dependent mRNA cleavage. Prysak MH, Mozdzierz CJ, Cook AM, Zhu L, Zhang Y, Inouye M, Woychik NA; Mol Microbiol. 2009;71:1071-1087. PMID:19210620

3: A differential effect of E. coli toxin-antitoxin systems on cell death in liquid media and biofilm formation. Kolodkin-Gal I, Verdiger R, Shlosberg-Fedida A, Engelberg-Kulka H; PLoS One. 2009;4:e6785. PMID:19707553