Horizontal gene transfer in evolution: facts and challenges

Boto, Luis

doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1679

Cited by 308 publications

(219 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…Recently, some authors have argued that the acquisition of major traits through horizontal transfer within a single generation contradicts the Darwinian principle of slow and gradual change (e.g. [67,68]). We agree that the rate of change is greater than a point mutation is likely to be.…”

Section: Are Heritable Endosymbionts Affecting Important Ecological Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial symbionts in insects or the story of communities affecting communities

Ferrari

Vavre

2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

293

280

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Bacterial symbionts are widespread in insects and other animals. Most of them are predominantly vertically transmitted, along with their hosts' genes, and thus extend the heritable genetic variation present in one species. These passengers have a variety of repercussions on the host's phenotypes: besides the cost imposed on the host for maintaining the symbiont population, they can provide fitness advantages to the host or manipulate the host's reproduction. We argue that insect symbioses are ideal model systems for community genetics. First, bacterial symbionts directly or indirectly affect the interactions with other species within a community. Examples include their involvement in modifying the use of host plants by phytophagous insects, in providing resistance to natural enemies, but also in reducing the global genetic diversity or gene flow between populations within some species. Second, one emerging picture in insect symbioses is that many species are simultaneously infected with more than one symbiont, which permits studying the factors that shape bacterial communities; for example, horizontal transmission, interactions between host genotype, symbiont genotype and the environment and interactions among symbionts. One conclusion is that insects' symbiotic complements are dynamic communities that affect and are affected by the communities in which they are embedded.

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Section: Are Heritable Endosymbionts Affecting Important Ecological Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial symbionts in insects or the story of communities affecting communities

Ferrari

Vavre

2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

293

280

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“…In the last 20 years, horizontal gene transfer, 'the non-genealogical transmission of genetic material from one organism to another' according to Goldenfeld & Woese [1], has emerged as an important evolutionary force modulating the evolution of prokaryote genomes and consequently the evolution in the Bacteria and Archaea domains [2,3]. However, the importance of this process in eukaryotic evolution has been questioned (except for gene transfers from mitochondria and plastid ancestors to the eukaryotic nucleus [4,5]) considering the barriers imposed on the spread of horizontally acquired genes by the presence of the germ line.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horizontal gene transfer in the acquisition of novel traits by metazoans

2014

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Horizontal gene transfer is accepted as an important evolutionary force modulating the evolution of prokaryote genomes. However, it is thought that horizontal gene transfer plays only a minor role in metazoan evolution. In this paper, I critically review the rising evidence on horizontally transferred genes and on the acquisition of novel traits in metazoans. In particular, I discuss suspected examples in sponges, cnidarians, rotifers, nematodes, molluscs and arthropods which suggest that horizontal gene transfer in metazoans is not simply a curiosity. In addition, I stress the scarcity of studies in vertebrates and other animal groups and the importance of forthcoming studies to understand the importance and extent of horizontal gene transfer in animals.

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“…There is increasing evidence of novel mechanisms (52) that suggest an even higher amount of horizontal gene transfer events occurring within microbial communities than previously expected (53)(54)(55)(56). We speculate that the intercommunity CU bias we observe may be a consequence of an extensive exchange of genetic information in an environment, up to and including the level that is the strongest selection force for CU optimization-the shared tRNA pool (57,58).…”

Section: Possible Mechanisms For the Cause Of Cu Bias In Metagenomesmentioning

confidence: 64%

Environmental Shaping of Codon Usage and Functional Adaptation Across Microbial Communities

Lucić¹,

Roller²,

Nágy³

et al. 2015

Encyclopedia of Metagenomics

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Microbial communities represent the largest portion of the Earth's biomass. Metagenomics projects use high-throughput sequencing to survey these communities and shed light on genetic capabilities that enable microbes to inhabit every corner of the biosphere. Metagenome studies are generally based on (i) classifying and ranking functions of identified genes; and (ii) estimating the phyletic distribution of constituent microbial species. To understand microbial communities at the systems level, it is necessary to extend these studies beyond the species' boundaries and capture higher levels of metabolic complexity. We evaluated 11 metagenome samples and demonstrated that microbes inhabiting the same ecological niche share common preferences for synonymous codons, regardless of their phylogeny. By exploring concepts of translational optimization through codon usage adaptation, we demonstrated that community-wide bias in codon usage can be used as a prediction tool for lifestyle-specific genes across the entire microbial community, effectively considering microbial communities as meta-genomes. These findings set up a 'functional metagenomics' platform for the identification of genes relevant for adaptations of entire microbial communities to environments. Our results provide valuable arguments in defining the concept of microbial species through the context of their interactions within the community.

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Horizontal gene transfer in evolution: facts and challenges

Cited by 308 publications

References 111 publications

Bacterial symbionts in insects or the story of communities affecting communities

Bacterial symbionts in insects or the story of communities affecting communities

Horizontal gene transfer in the acquisition of novel traits by metazoans

Environmental Shaping of Codon Usage and Functional Adaptation Across Microbial Communities

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