Widespread impact of horizontal gene transfer on plant colonization of land
Author
Yue, Jipei; Hu, Xiangyang; Sun, Hang; Yang, Yongping; Huang, Jinling
Abstract
In complex multicellular eukaryotes such as animals and plants, horizontal gene transfer is commonly considered rare with very limited evolutionary significance. Here we show that horizontal gene transfer is a dynamic process occurring frequently in the early evolution of land plants. Our genome analyses of the moss Physcomitrella patens identified 57 families of nuclear genes that were acquired from prokaryotes, fungi or viruses. Many of these gene families were transferred to the ancestors of green or land plants. Available experimental evidence shows that these anciently acquired genes are involved in some essential or plant-specific activities such as xylem formation, plant defence, nitrogen recycling as well as the biosynthesis of starch, polyamines, hormones and glutathione. These findings suggest that horizontal gene transfer had a critical role in the transition of plants from aquatic to terrestrial environments. On the basis of these findings, we propose a model of horizontal gene transfer mechanism in nonvascular and seedless vascular plants.
Subject
Date
2012-10
Citation:
APA:
Yue, Jipei, & Hu, Xiangyang, & Sun, Hang, & Yang, Yongping, & Huang, Jinling. (October 2012).
Widespread impact of horizontal gene transfer on plant colonization of land.
Nature Communications,
3(),
1152-
. Retrieved from
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/5494
MLA:
Yue, Jipei, and Hu, Xiangyang, and Sun, Hang, and Yang, Yongping, and Huang, Jinling.
"Widespread impact of horizontal gene transfer on plant colonization of land". Nature Communications.
3:. (1152-),
October 2012.
September 30, 2023.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/5494.
Chicago:
Yue, Jipei and Hu, Xiangyang and Sun, Hang and Yang, Yongping and Huang, Jinling,
"Widespread impact of horizontal gene transfer on plant colonization of land," Nature Communications 3, no.
(October 2012),
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/5494 (accessed
September 30, 2023).
AMA:
Yue, Jipei, Hu, Xiangyang, Sun, Hang, Yang, Yongping, Huang, Jinling.
Widespread impact of horizontal gene transfer on plant colonization of land. Nature Communications.
October 2012;
3():
1152-.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/5494. Accessed
September 30, 2023.
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