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Related Experiment Videos

Horizontal gene transfer, genome innovation and evolution.

J Peter Gogarten1, Jeffrey P Townsend

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3125, USA. gogarten@uconn.edu

Nature Reviews. Microbiology
|September 3, 2005
PubMed
Summary

The tree of life may not fully represent microbial evolution due to extensive horizontal gene transfer. Genes transferred horizontally might be neutral, blurring species boundaries and requiring broader population genetics principles.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbial evolution
  • Genomics
  • Population genetics

Background:

  • The tree of life is a traditional model for evolutionary history.
  • Microbial genomes exhibit significant gene content variation despite low sequence divergence.
  • Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a key factor in microbial genome evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the tree of life as the definitive representation of microbial evolutionary history.
  • To investigate the role and selective pressures of horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes.
  • To explore the implications of HGT for species definition and population genetics in microorganisms.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics analysis of prokaryotic genomes.
  • Assessment of gene content variation and homologous gene divergence.

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  • Theoretical consideration of selective pressures on horizontally transferred genes.

    • Main Results:

    • Prokaryotic genomes with low sequence divergence show extensive variation in gene content.
    • This variation strongly implies frequent horizontal gene transfer.
    • Horizontally transferred genes may not always confer a selective advantage, potentially being neutral or nearly neutral.

    Conclusions:

    • The tree of life may be an oversimplification for microbial evolutionary history.
    • Horizontal gene transfer is a pervasive force, leading to fuzzy species boundaries in prokaryotes.
    • Population genetics principles need expansion to encompass higher microbial taxonomic levels and HGT dynamics.