Lateral and oblique gene transfer.
Sequence information from complete genomes, and from multiple loci of strains within species, is transforming the way that we investigate the evolution of bacteria. Such large-scale assessments of bacterial genomes have provided evidence of extensive gene transfer and exchange. Except in rare cases, these two processes do not seem to be coupled: certain species, such as Escherichia coli, undergo relatively low levels of gene exchange; but the emergence of pathogenic strains is associated with the acquisition of numerous virulence factors by lateral gene transfer.
Ochman
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Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0088, USA. hochman@email.arizona.edu
D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence