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Related Concept Videos

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

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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.
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Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

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Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

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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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Horizontal Gene Transfer01:27

Horizontal Gene Transfer

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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:...
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Transduction01:16

Transduction

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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...
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Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

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The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was  generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
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Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
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Too Much Eukaryote LGT.

William F Martin1

  • 1University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany.

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|October 26, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Eukaryotes acquire genes but do not exhibit the same extensive lateral gene transfer (LGT) as prokaryotes. Current eukaryote LGT theories may be fundamentally flawed, lacking evidence of cumulative gene transfer effects.

Keywords:
Lamarckian evolutiongenome analysishorizontal gene transferlateral gene transferphylogenetic artefact

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Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Prokaryotes frequently exchange genes via lateral gene transfer (LGT).
  • Eukaryotes acquire genes from organelles (mitochondria, plastids) and via secondary endosymbiosis.
  • The extent and mechanisms of LGT in eukaryotes are debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically analyze the evidence and theories surrounding lateral gene transfer (LGT) in eukaryotes.
  • To compare LGT in eukaryotes with that observed in prokaryotes.
  • To identify potential discrepancies in current eukaryote LGT models.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of gene transfer mechanisms in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
  • Examination of genomic features, such as pangenomes, in both domains.
  • Assessment of cumulative effects of LGT on eukaryotic genomes.

Main Results:

  • Eukaryotes do not exhibit pangenomes, a hallmark of prokaryotic LGT.
  • No detectable cumulative effects of LGT are evident in eukaryotes, unlike in prokaryotes.
  • Gene acquisition in eukaryotes occurs through distinct mechanisms (e.g., endosymbiosis) rather than widespread LGT.

Conclusions:

  • Eukaryotic gene transfer differs significantly in mechanism and scale from prokaryotic LGT.
  • Current theories suggesting extensive LGT in eukaryotes may be inaccurate.
  • Further research is needed to understand the true impact of gene transfer in eukaryotic evolution.