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Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
Published on: March 24, 2023
Lateral gene transfer in eukaryotes: tip of the iceberg or of the ice cube?
1Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, 06903, Sophia Antipolis, France. etienne.danchin@inra.fr.
Abstract:
Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the transmission of genes, sometimes across species barriers, outwith the classic vertical inheritance from parent to offspring. LGT is recognized as an important phenomenon that has shaped the genomes and biology of prokaryotes. Whether LGT in eukaryotes is important and widespread remains controversial. A study in BMC Biology concludes that LGT in eukaryotes is neither continuous nor prevalent and suggests a rule of thumb for judging when apparent LGT may reflect contamination.See research article: http://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-016-0315-9 .
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