Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Horizontal Gene Transfer01:27

Horizontal Gene Transfer

597
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:...
597
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

29.8K
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.
29.8K
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

5.9K
5.9K
Transduction01:16

Transduction

417
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...
417
Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

1.3K
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...
1.3K
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

8.6K
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.
8.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Framework for Antimicrobial Resistance Risk Assessment, Monitoring, and Risk-Reduction Practices along the Reused Water-Soil-Crop-Human Continuum.

Environmental science & technology·2026
Same author

Phage-plasmid-like elements are found throughout diverse environments and encode niche-specific functional traits.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Assessment of a Passive Sampler for Aquifer Microbial Community Profiling and Comparison of Porous Media Applied in a Managed Recharge Scenario.

Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation·2026
Same author

Microbial Growth Curve Framework Provides Insights for Controlling Opportunistic Pathogens in Building Plumbing.

ACS ES&T water·2026
Same author

Quantifying conjugation rates in clinical and environmental matrices: a systematic review to inform risk assessment.

Frontiers in microbiomes·2026
Same author

Complexity of Chloramine Decay Kinetics in Premise Plumbing.

ACS ES&T water·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 2, 2025

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

16.9K

Quantitative analysis of horizontal gene transfer in complex systems.

Jenifer Moralez1, Karolina Szenkiel1, Kerry Hamilton2

  • 1Department of Biology, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027, USA.

Current Opinion in Microbiology
|June 7, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Quantifying horizontal gene transfer (HGT) rates is crucial for understanding bacterial evolution. Recent studies use advanced methods to measure HGT across different scales, providing key biological insights.

More Related Videos

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

6.2K
High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
05:18

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

11.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 2, 2025

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

16.9K
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

6.2K
High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies
05:18

High-Resolution Comparison of Bacterial Conjugation Frequencies

Published on: January 10, 2019

11.0K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) drives rapid trait propagation in bacterial populations, influencing evolution and community structure.
  • Accurate quantification of HGT rates is essential for understanding gene spread efficiency but has been historically challenging.
  • HGT rates are specific to the mechanism and environmental context, requiring precise measurement techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent quantitative methods for measuring HGT rates.
  • To emphasize how multi-scale quantification provides biological insights.
  • To highlight applications and suggest future methodological advancements.

Main Methods:

  • Review of studies employing rigorous quantitative methods.
  • Examination of both in vitro and in situ HGT rate measurements.
  • Analysis of data across multiple scales of complexity.

Main Results:

  • Precise measurement of HGT rates is achievable using advanced quantitative approaches.
  • Multi-scale quantification reveals fundamental biological insights into gene transfer dynamics.
  • Established methods allow for the application of HGT rate data in various biological contexts.

Conclusions:

  • Quantitative methods have significantly improved our ability to measure HGT rates.
  • Understanding HGT rates is key to deciphering bacterial evolution and adaptation.
  • Further methodological development will enhance our comprehension of gene transfer processes.