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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.
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.
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.
Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes02:19

Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes

A eukaryotic cell can have up to three different types of genetic systems: nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast. During evolution, organelles have exported many genes to the nucleus; this transfer is still ongoing in some plant species. Approximately 18% of the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear genome is thought to be derived from the chloroplast’s cyanobacterial ancestor, and around 75% of the yeast genome derived from the mitochondria’s bacterial ancestor. This export has occurred irrespective...
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...

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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

Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes: the weak-link model.

Jinling Huang1

  • 1Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA; Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biogeography, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|September 17, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a significant, regular occurrence in eukaryotic evolution, not solely explained by mitochondria or plastids. Unicellular and early developmental stages are key entry points for bacterial genes into eukaryotes.

Keywords:
endosymbiosiseukaryotic evolutiongene acquisitiongenome evolutionorganellar gene transfer

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • The role of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in eukaryotic evolution is debated.
  • Many eukaryotic genes have bacterial origins, often attributed to endosymbiosis (mitochondria, plastids).
  • Mitochondria and plastids alone cannot account for the full extent of bacterial genes in eukaryotes due to their limited gene pools.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the significance and mechanisms of HGT in eukaryotic evolution.
  • To challenge the sole reliance on endosymbiosis for explaining bacterial gene presence in eukaryotes.
  • To propose a model for HGT into multicellular eukaryotes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing data on gene origins in eukaryotes.
  • Analysis of evidence for HGT across diverse eukaryotic groups.
  • Development of a theoretical model for HGT entry points.

Main Results:

  • No insurmountable barriers to HGT were found, even in complex multicellular organisms.
  • Evidence suggests HGT is a frequent event throughout eukaryotic history.
  • Recent and ancient HGT events have been identified in major eukaryotic lineages.

Conclusions:

  • Horizontal gene transfer is a pervasive force in eukaryotic evolution.
  • Mitochondria and plastids are insufficient explanations for all bacterial gene acquisitions.
  • Unicellular stages and early development are critical windows for HGT into multicellular eukaryotes.