Lateral gene transfer and the nature of bacterial innovation

Howard Ochman, Jeffrey G. Lawrence and Eduardo A. Groisman
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Howard Ochman: University of Arizona
Jeffrey G. Lawrence: University of Pittsburgh
Eduardo A. Groisman: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine

Nature, 2000, vol. 405, issue 6784, 299-304

Abstract: Abstract Unlike eukaryotes, which evolve principally through the modification of existing genetic information, bacteria have obtained a significant proportion of their genetic diversity through the acquisition of sequences from distantly related organisms. Horizontal gene transfer produces extremely dynamic genomes in which substantial amounts of DNA are introduced into and deleted from the chromosome. These lateral transfers have effectively changed the ecological and pathogenic character of bacterial species.

Date: 2000
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DOI: 10.1038/35012500

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