Lateral transfers of large DNA fragments spread functional genes among grasses

Dunning, Luke T.; Olofsson, Jill K.; Parisod, Christian Gérard; Choudhury, Rimjhim Roy; Moreno-Villena, Jose J.; Yang, Yang; Dionora, Jacqueline; Quick, W. Paul; Park, Minkyu; Bennetzen, Jeffrey L.; Besnard, Guillaume; Nosil, Patrik; Osborne, Colin P.; Christin, Pascal-Antoine (2019). Lateral transfers of large DNA fragments spread functional genes among grasses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS, 116(10), pp. 4416-4425. National Academy of Sciences NAS 10.1073/pnas.1810031116

Preview

Text 2019_PNAS_116_4416.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works (CC-BY-NC-ND). Download (2MB) | Preview

In multicellular organisms, exchange of genetic information occurs mainly among individuals belonging to the same species through sexual reproduction. Lateral gene transfer between distantly related taxa has been demonstrated in some cases, but its frequency and evolutionary importance have been controversial. By comparing genomes of many grasses, we show that large blocks of DNA containing functional genes are laterally passed among distantly related species. Some of these genes are then used by the recipient species, expanding their genetic toolkit. The spread of functional genes across grasses that have developed distinct physiological and ecological adaptations may therefore represent a significant evolutionary driving force in this globally important group of plants.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

130 since deposited on 09 May 2019
16 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item