Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer within diverse bacterial populations occurs through multiple mechanisms of exchange. The most established routes of gene transfer, transduction, transformation, and conjugation, have been characterized in detail, revealing the advantages and limitations of each mechanism. More recently, interspecies gene exchange via extracellular vesicles has been reported and characterized, making vesicle-mediated exchange a fourth, general mechanism of gene transfer. Despite an understanding of each individual pathway, how all of these mechanisms act in concert has not been explored. Here we develop a model of gene exchange in a multispecies bacterial community that takes into account the rates and limitations of all four gene transfer mechanisms. Our results reveal unique roles for each gene exchange mechanism, and highlight how multiple pathways working together are required for widespread gene exchange within diverse bacterial populations.
Highlights
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in bacteria is the exchange of genetic material between cells outside of reproduction
To implement the model described above, the maximum transfer rate, γ, and the exchange matrix, α, must first be established for each of the four mechanisms of transfer. These parameters were inferred from previously reported experimental measurements of HGT
The HGT mechanism of conjugation is facilitated by conjugative plasmids, which grant their hosts the ability to form cell-to-cell junctions
Summary
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in bacteria is the exchange of genetic material between cells outside of reproduction. Vesicle-mediated gene transfer has been identified as an additional HGT mechanism, and evidence is mounting that this method should be considered a fourth major route of gene exchange for bacteria (Yaron et al, 2000; Bushman, 2002; Renelli et al, 2004; Rumbo et al, 2011; Fulsundar et al, 2014; Tran and Boedicker, 2017). Estimates suggest 20% of bacterial genomes were acquired through horizontal transfer (Lawrence and Ochman, 1997). To explain this phenomenon, several models of HGT have been developed
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