The type I toxin-antitoxin (TA) system is widespread in the bacterial genome and can play a variety of biological functions in the growth and survival of bacteria, including antibacterial function, red blood cell toxicity, promoting the formation of persistent bacteria, inhibiting bacterial growth, or causing bacterial dormancy, etc. The vast majority of type I toxin proteins target the cell membrane. One known mechanism of action is the formation of pores in the cell membrane, resulting in a decrease in membrane potential or destruction of the cell membrane, thereby inhibits the ATP synthesis or leads to the bacterial death; another possible mechanism of action is that the toxin proteins act on the cell membrane, changing the shape of the cell and causing it to enter a dormant state. The complexity of the type I toxin protein-membrane mechanism and the diversity of its biological functions are much more complex beyond our expectations. Therefore, it is important to analyze the assembly mechanism of type I toxin protein in different membranes and their structural characteristics, which is also the key to revealing its structure-function relationship. This article summarizes the reported structural characteristics and biological functions of the type I TA system, explores the formation of different structures in the cell membrane that affect its function combined with the prediction of its transmembrane domains, and analyzes the key factors affecting its mechanism of action. It brings opportunities for the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria, and also brings ideas for the research of new antibacterial drugs.