Lateral Gene Transfer in Multicellular Organisms

Abstract

The transfer of genetic material in the absence of sex, lateral gene transfer (LGT), is ubiquitous in prokaryotes and increasingly described in eukaryotes, including animals. Here, we provide an overview and discussion of the many recent examples of LGT in animals with examination of important studies in plant LGT and differentiate LGT from adaptive hybridization. LGT involving both retroelements and Wolbachia endosymbionts is rampant. LGT occurs from bacteria to asexual animals and from endosymbionts to their invertebrates hosts where it is frequently transcribed, albeit at low levels. When LGT is adaptive, meaning that it confers a selective advantage, it is frequently followed by gene duplication and gene conversion.