Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT)- is defined as the acquisition of genetic material from another organism. However, recent findings indicate a possible role of HGT in the acquisition of traits with adaptive significance, suggesting that HGT is an important driving force in the evolution of eukaryotes as well as prokaryotes. It has been noted that, in eukaryotes, HGT is more prevalent than originally thought. Mitochondria and chloroplasts lost a large number of genes after their respective endosymbiotic events occurred. Even after this major content loss, organelle genomes still continue to lose their own genes. Many of these are subsequently acquired by intracellular gene transfer from the original plastid. The aim of our review was to elucidate the role of chloroplasts in the transfer of genes. This review also explores gene transfer involving mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, though recent studies indicate that chloroplast genomes are far more active in HGT as compared to these other two DNA-containing cellular compartments.
Highlights
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), called lateral gene transfer (LGT), is the process of transferring genetic material between organisms by routes other than parent-offspring
An interesting case is the transfer of the rps16 gene, which is present in the chloroplast genome of most higher plants, while it is absent in the cpDNA of Medicago truncatula and Populus alba
It is important to note the importance of HGT in plant evolution
Summary
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), called lateral gene transfer (LGT), is the process of transferring genetic material between organisms by routes other than parent-offspring (vertical gene transfer—VGT). Extensive research on the participation of HGT in prokaryotic evolution (e.g., archaea and bacteria) has shown a possible mechanism to facilitate the acquisition of new features [9]. This phenomenon has been speculated to be rare in eukaryotes [10,11]. Transmission and integration of transferred genes can provide several beneficial features, including prokaryotic adaptation during environmental changes [12,13], acquisition of new features/functionalities [14], and evolutionary adaptation 2inof 16 eukaryotes [15,16]. We discuss mainly cases of HGT and IGT gene transfer involving the chloroplast genome of plants
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