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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...
Bacterial Transformation01:33

Bacterial Transformation

In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
Bacterial Transformation01:33

Bacterial Transformation

In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 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 bacteria and animals.

Julie C Dunning Hotopp1

  • 1Institute for Genome Science, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. jdhotopp@som.umaryland.edu

Trends in Genetics : TIG
|February 22, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Horizontal gene transfer between bacteria and animals can be inherited, potentially shaping animal evolution. This phenomenon is observed in symbiotic relationships and asexual animals, aligning with evolutionary theories.

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High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 4, 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

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
06:56

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli

Published on: March 24, 2023

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
05:18

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is increasingly documented between bacteria and animals.
  • Vertically inherited HGT has the potential to significantly influence animal evolution.
  • Examples include organelle DNA transfer to the nucleus and bacterial endosymbionts in invertebrates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the implications of horizontally transferred genes in animal evolution.
  • To investigate the association between specific animal lifestyles and HGT.
  • To assess the current understanding and limitations in studying HGT in animals.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on HGT in animals.
  • Analysis of documented cases of bacteria-to-animal gene transfer.
  • Consideration of evolutionary theories like serial endosymbiotic theory and Muller's ratchet.

Main Results:

  • HGT is prevalent in intimate relationships (endosymbionts) and asexual animals.
  • Observed HGT patterns are consistent with established evolutionary theories.
  • Systematic analysis of animal genomes for HGT is lacking.

Conclusions:

  • Vertically inherited HGT is a significant factor in animal evolution.
  • Specific lifestyles may facilitate HGT, but require further investigation.
  • Nonrandom genome sequencing limits comprehensive understanding of HGT prevalence.