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Related Concept Videos

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

Genetic transfer occurs when genetic information is passed from one organism to another. It occurs via two mechanisms: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer occurs when genetic information is transferred from one generation to the next, which happens much more frequently than horizontal gene transfer. Both sexual and asexual reproduction are forms of vertical gene transfer, where one or more organisms pass some or all of their genome onto their progeny.
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

Genetic transfer occurs when genetic information is passed from one organism to another. It occurs via two mechanisms: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer occurs when genetic information is transferred from one generation to the next, which happens much more frequently than horizontal gene transfer. Both sexual and asexual reproduction are forms of vertical gene transfer, where one or more organisms pass some or all of their genome onto their progeny.
Horizontal Gene Transfer01:27

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a process where genetic material moves between organisms within the same generation, unlike vertical gene transfer, which occurs from parent to offspring. HGT plays a crucial role in microbial evolution, adaptation, and survival, particularly in shared environments like the human gut.Mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, prophages, integrons, insertion sequences, and transposons facilitate this process. HGT occurs through three primary mechanisms:...
Transduction01:16

Transduction

Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome are...
Evolution of Microbial Genome01:08

Evolution of Microbial Genome

Microbial genome evolution is a highly dynamic process shaped by continual gene gain and loss across species and strains. This genomic flexibility allows microorganisms to adapt rapidly to environmental pressures and interactions with other organisms. Central to understanding this diversity is the distinction between the core and pan genomes.The core genome comprises the genes shared by all sampled strains of a species, representing essential functions needed for fundamental cellular processes.
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.

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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus
10:39

Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus

Published on: March 10, 2017

Horizontal gene transfer between microbial eukaryotes.

Jan O Andersson1

  • 1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|March 10, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common in microbial eukaryotes, affecting both core and accessory genes. Accessory gene HGT is frequent across life

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Conjugative Mating Assays for Sequence-specific Analysis of Transfer Proteins Involved in Bacterial Conjugation
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Conjugative Mating Assays for Sequence-specific Analysis of Transfer Proteins Involved in Bacterial Conjugation

Published on: January 4, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Comparative genomics distinguishes core genes (central functions) from accessory genes (taxa-specific functions).
  • Microbial eukaryotes are known to undergo horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from prokaryotes and other eukaryotes.
  • Detecting HGT is challenging, especially for accessory genes with complex phylogenetic signals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and implications of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in microbial eukaryotes.
  • To differentiate the evolutionary dynamics of core versus accessory genes in eukaryotes.
  • To understand the impact of HGT on eukaryote genome evolution and organismal phylogeny.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics to identify gene classes (core vs. accessory).
  • Phylogenetic analyses to infer gene histories and detect transfer events.
  • Examination of gene distribution across diverse eukaryotic lineages.

Main Results:

  • Both core and accessory genes in microbial eukaryotes are subject to HGT from prokaryotes and other eukaryotes.
  • Intra-domain gene transfers of core genes are less frequent and easier to detect phylogenetically.
  • Phylogenies of accessory genes often show complex, intermingled patterns across domains, suggesting high transfer rates.
  • Significant HGT events impact a wide range of eukaryotic microbes, though taxonomic sampling limits detailed analysis.

Conclusions:

  • Horizontal gene transfer is a significant evolutionary force shaping the genomes of diverse microbial eukaryotes.
  • The high rate of accessory gene transfer complicates evolutionary interpretations but highlights extensive genetic exchange.
  • Understanding HGT in eukaryotes is crucial for accurate organismal phylogeny reconstruction and insights into genome evolution.