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Related Concept Videos

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:...
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.
Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

Conjugation is a form of horizontal gene transfer that primarily occurs in bacteria and some archaea, promoting genetic diversity and adaptation. Bacteria can acquire resistance genes through conjugative plasmids, allowing them to survive antibiotic treatments that would otherwise be lethal. This process involves direct contact between cells through specialized structures such as the sex pilus and is mediated by conjugative plasmids, including the F (fertility) factor.Conjugation requires...
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...
Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria01:29

Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria

The DNA replication, transcription, and translation processes are intricately coupled in bacteria, allowing efficient gene expression and rapid protein synthesis. While this physical and functional coordination is advantageous, it introduces challenges that bacteria overcome through specific regulatory mechanisms.Coupling of Replication, Transcription, and TranslationThe coupling of replication, transcription, and translation is a hallmark of bacterial gene expression. As the replisome unwinds...
Transformation01:26

Transformation

Microbial communities are dynamic environments where cell lysis releases free DNA into the surroundings. Other cells can take up this extracellular DNA through a process known as transformation.When a cell incorporates this foreign DNA into its genome, resulting in genetic modification, the process is known as transformation. Cells capable of this process are termed competent. Competence can be natural, as observed in certain bacteria and archaea, or artificially induced in the...

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Related Experiment Video

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Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling
08:51

Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling

Published on: June 25, 2015

High expression hampers horizontal gene transfer.

Chungoo Park1, Jianzhi Zhang

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI, USA.

Genome Biology and Evolution
|March 23, 2012
PubMed
Summary

High gene expression hinders horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in prokaryotes. This study reveals that gene expression level is a key factor influencing HGT rates, impacting evolutionary processes.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbial Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is crucial for prokaryotic evolution.
  • Existing rules for HGT variation (informational vs. operational genes, protein interactivity) are incomplete.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that high gene expression negatively impacts HGT rates.
  • To identify gene expression level as a determinant of HGT transferability.

Main Methods:

  • Examined laboratory and natural HGTs in Escherichia coli.
  • Controlled for confounding factors like gene function, protein interactions, and GC content.
  • Analyzed HGT rates across 133 eubacterial and archaeobacterial genomes.

Main Results:

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Inducible T7 RNA Polymerase-mediated Multigene Expression System, pMGX

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Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling
08:51

Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling

Published on: June 25, 2015

Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus
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Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus

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Inducible T7 RNA Polymerase-mediated Multigene Expression System, pMGX
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  • Higher expressed genes showed significantly lower transferability.
  • Gene expression level was a stronger predictor of HGT than other factors.
  • A negative correlation between gene expression and HGT rate was confirmed across diverse prokaryotes.

Conclusions:

  • Gene expression level is a major determinant of horizontal gene transfer.
  • Most successful HGTs may initially be slightly deleterious, fixed due to low costs rather than benefits.