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

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms02:18

Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms

28.8K
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.
28.8K
Horizontal Gene Transfer01:27

Horizontal Gene Transfer

45
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:...
45
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

8.0K
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.
8.0K
Transduction01:16

Transduction

49
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...
49
Transformation01:26

Transformation

36
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...
36
Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

37
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...
37

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Metagenome-assembled genomes from biological soil crusts in sandy sediments of Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, OH, USA.

Microbiology resource announcements·2026
Same author

Bdelloid rotifers deploy horizontally acquired biosynthetic genes against a fungal pathogen.

Nature communications·2024
Same author

Bacterial N4-methylcytosine as an epigenetic mark in eukaryotic DNA.

Nature communications·2022
Same author

An Ancient Clade of Penelope-Like Retroelements with Permuted Domains Is Present in the Green Lineage and Protists, and Dominates Many Invertebrate Genomes.

Molecular biology and evolution·2021
Same author

A Survey of Transposon Landscapes in the Putative Ancient Asexual Ostracod <i>Darwinula stevensoni</i>.

Genes·2021
Same author

Evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements in bdelloid rotifers.

eLife·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 26, 2025

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

5.6K

Shaping eukaryotic epigenetic systems by horizontal gene transfer.

Irina R Arkhipova1, Irina A Yushenova1, Fernando Rodriguez1

  • 1Marine Biological Laboratory, Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|June 20, 2023
PubMed
Summary

DNA methylation, a key epigenetic mechanism, involves enzymes that evolved in bacteria. These enzymes were transferred to eukaryotes, shaping epigenetic regulation and challenging existing evolutionary paradigms.

Keywords:
DNA methylationN4-methylcytosineamino-methyltransferaseepigenetic silencinglateral gene transferregulatory evolutiontransposable elements

More Related Videos

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

16.7K
Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
10:28

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

6.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 26, 2025

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

5.6K
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

16.7K
Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
10:28

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

6.5K

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • DNA methylation is a fundamental epigenetic mechanism involving chemical modifications in DNA.
  • DNA methyltransferases originated in prokaryotes as defense systems against foreign DNA.
  • These enzymes were later acquired by eukaryotes through horizontal gene transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the evolutionary origins of DNA methyltransferases.
  • To investigate the co-option of bacterial DNA modification systems in eukaryotes.
  • To understand the role of diverse DNA modifications beyond C5-methylcytosine.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics analysis of DNA methyltransferases across prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
  • Bioinformatic approaches to trace horizontal gene transfer events.
  • Review of existing literature on epigenetic modifications and their evolutionary history.

Main Results:

  • DNA methyltransferases exhibit a prokaryotic origin and were integrated into eukaryotic epigenetic regulation.
  • Multiple independent horizontal gene transfer events facilitated the co-option of these enzymes.
  • The discovery of N4-methylcytosine in metazoans underscores the plasticity of epigenetic systems.

Conclusions:

  • Eukaryotic epigenetic regulatory systems have deep evolutionary roots in bacterial defense mechanisms.
  • The horizontal transfer of DNA methyltransferases significantly impacted the evolution of eukaryotic epigenetics.
  • Further research into non-canonical DNA modifications is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of epigenetics.