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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
06:56
Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
Published on: March 24, 2023
Detecting lateral genetic transfer : a phylogenetic approach.
1Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|June 21, 2008
Summary
Lateral genetic transfer (LGT) is a frequent process in microbial evolution, where genes are shared between organisms. Analyzing microbial genomes reveals LGT
Area of Science:
- Microbial genomics
- Evolutionary biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Gene sharing among organisms, known as lateral genetic transfer (LGT), is evident in microbial genomes.
- Understanding LGT's role in microbial evolution and diversification is crucial.
- Abundant genomic sequence data allows for testing hypotheses about LGT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline a workflow for identifying LGT in microbial genomes.
- To analyze the frequency and patterns of LGT using bioinformatic and phylogenetic methods.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of nucleotide sequences from 144 microbial genomes.
- Utilizing phylogenetic methods to infer gene transmission events.
- Comparing gene sequence features against the surrounding genome.
Main Results:
- Vertical inheritance is the primary mode of gene transmission.
- Lateral genetic transfer (LGT) occurs frequently, particularly between related or co-habiting microbes.
- Phylogenetic analysis of 144 genomes confirmed significant LGT.
Conclusions:
- Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses provide a robust workflow for LGT detection.
- LGT plays a significant role in microbial genome evolution and diversification.
- The study highlights the importance of considering LGT in microbial evolutionary studies.
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