Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a significant role in microbial evolution. It can accelerate the adaptation of an organism, it can generate new metabolic pathways and it can completely remodel an organism's genome. We examine 27 closely related genomes from the YESS group of gamma proteobacteria and a variety of four-taxon datasets from a diverse range of prokaryotes in order to explore th...

The discovery of a horizontal gene transfer (HGT) revolutionized the evolutionary biology. Suddenly, a long developed concept of a phylogenetic tree, where all organisms share a common ancestor, could not describe the outcome of gene transfer between perceived unrelated organisms [1]. Consequently, a new concept – net of life – is emerging [1]. In the “net of life”, each organisms is a combinat...

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common between prokaryotes and phagotrophic eukaryotes. In metazoans, the scale and significance of HGT remains largely unexplored but is usually linked to a close association with parasites and endosymbionts. Marine sponges (Porifera), which host many microorganisms in their tissues and lack an isolated germ line, are potential carriers of genes transferred fr...

Plant mitochondrial and chloroplast genes that underwent horizontal transfer have been identified by parasite and grafting systems, respectively. Here, we directly observed 3 horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events in the 45 second axillary shoots of grafted cotton plants (Gossypium barbadense and Gossypium hirsutum) after extirpating the first axillary bud. The second axillary shoots showed phen...

Microfluidics confers unique advantages in microbiological studies as these devices can accurately replicate the micro- and even nano-scale structures of soil to simulate habitats bacteria. It not only helps us understand spatial distribution bacterial communities (such biofilms), but also provides mechanistic insights into microbial behaviors including chemotaxis horizontal gene transfer (HGT)...

Horizontal Gene Transfer is defined as the movement of genetic material from one strain of species to another. Bacteria, being an asexual organism were always believed to transfer genes vertically. But recent studies provide evidence that shows bacteria can also transfer genes horizontally. HGT plays a major role in evolution and medicine. It is the major contributor in bacterial evolution, ena...

The evolutionary and environmental consequences of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is illustrated by the global spread of antibiotic resistance to pathogenic bacteria in under 50 years. Another topical question is whether genes from transgenic organisms will spread into unintended hosts such as soil bacteria. Why was the first phenomenon not anticipated and the second issue uncertain? Current ma...

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) often leads to phylogenetic incongruence. When “duplicative HGT” introduces a second copy of a pre-existing gene, the two copies may then engage in gene conversion, leading to phylogenetically mosiac genes. When duplicative HGT is followed by differential gene conversion among descendant lineages, as under the DHDC model, phylogenetic analysis is further complicat...

BACKGROUND Liver gene transfer offers hope for the correction of genetic and acquired disorders. Efficient gene transfer in large animals can be obtained with hydrodynamic gene transfer (HGT), a method that can achieve sufficient levels of gene delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS To test the relative efficiency between plasmid versus foamy virus (FV) vector-based liver gene transfer efficiency, we...