Functional and ecological impacts of horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is known to have contributed to the content of eukaryotic genomes, but the direct effects of HGT on eukaryotic evolution are more obscure because many of the best supported cases involve a new gene replacing a functionally similar homologue. Here, several cases of HGT...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent opinion in genetics & development Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 613 - 619
Main Author Keeling, Patrick J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2009
Subjects
Adaptation, Biological
Animals
Biological Evolution
Eukaryota - genetics
Gene Transfer, Horizontal
Genome
Host-Parasite Interactions - genetics
Humans
Medical Education
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Summary:Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is known to have contributed to the content of eukaryotic genomes, but the direct effects of HGT on eukaryotic evolution are more obscure because many of the best supported cases involve a new gene replacing a functionally similar homologue. Here, several cases of HGT conferring a plausible adaptive advantage are reviewed to examine emerging trends in such transfer events. In particular, HGT seems to play an important role in adaptation to parasitism and pathogenesis, as well as to other specific environmental conditions such as anaerobiosis or nitrogen and iron limitation in marine environments. Most, but not all, of the functionally significant HGT to eukaryotes comes from bacteria, in part due to chance, but probably also because bacteria have greater metabolic diversity to offer.
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ISSN:0959-437X
1879-0380
DOI:10.1016/j.gde.2009.10.001