Lateral gene transfer in eukaryotes: tip of the iceberg or of the ice cube?

Abstract

Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the transmission of genes, sometimes across species barriers, outwith the classic vertical inheritance from parent to offspring. LGT is recognized as an important phenomenon that has shaped the genomes and biology of prokaryotes. Whether LGT in eukaryotes is important and widespread remains controversial. A study in BMC Biology concludes that LGT in eukaryotes is neither continuous nor prevalent and suggests a rule of thumb for judging when apparent LGT may reflect contamination.See research article: http://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-016-0315-9 .

Fig. 1

How prevalent is LGT in prokaryotes and eukaryotes? Schematic representation of the cellular organism tree of life. The root of the tree is indicated in violet and Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya branches in red, green, and blue, respectively. Plain black arrows represent vertical gene inheritance from ancestors to their descendants. Dashed lines represent LGT events. Within Bacteria and Archaea, the branches are highly interconnected by LGT events. In Eukaryotes there is much less interconnection and recent gene acquisition of prokaryote origin via LGT is controversial. Violet branches emerging from the root represent extinct clades