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Title: Beyond Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation: Horizontal Gene Transfer from Bacteria to Eukaryotes
Besides the massive gene transfer from organelles to the nuclear genomes, which occurred during the early evolution of eukaryote lineages, the importance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in eukaryotes remains controversial. Yet, increasing amounts of genomic data reveal many cases of bacterium-to-eukaryote HGT that likely represent a significant force in adaptive evolution of eukaryotic species. However, DNA transfer involved in genetic transformation of plants by Agrobacterium species has traditionally been considered as the unique example of natural DNA transfer and integration into eukaryotic genomes. Recent discoveries indicate that the repertoire of donor bacterial species and of recipient eukaryotic hosts potentially are much wider than previously thought, including donor bacterial species, such as plant symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., Rhizobium etli) and animal bacterial pathogens (e.g., Bartonella henselae, Helicobacter pylori), and recipient species from virtually all eukaryotic clades. Here, we review the molecular pathways and potential mechanisms of these trans-kingdom HGT events and discuss their utilization in biotechnology and research.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1758046
PAR ID:
10092952
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Current topics in microbiology and immunology
Volume:
418
ISSN:
0070-217X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
443 - 462
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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