A new study examining cockroach species has found that horizontal gene transfer from bacteria into animal genomes is more common than previously thought. Researchers identified thousands of bacterial DNA fragments within cockroach genomes, suggesting this process plays a larger role in animal genome diversity.
This research challenges previous assumptions about the limited role of horizontal gene transfer in animal evolution, suggesting it may be a more significant source of genetic diversity than previously appreciated.
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the process by which genetic material is transferred between distinct species, is now understood to be more prevalent in multicellular animals than previously believed. While common among microbes due to their cellular structure, HGT in animals was thought to be rare. However, recent advancements in DNA sequencing technology, particularly long-read sequencing, have enabled researchers to identify bacterial DNA integrated into animal genomes, distinguishing it from contamination. A new study published in PNAS examined multiple cockroach species and discovered a substantial presence of bacterial DNA, with instances ranging from 93 to 4,900 per species. These fragments, often short and located outside of gene-encoding regions, suggest that HGT may contribute significantly to the diversity of animal genomes over evolutionary timescales, even if the transferred DNA lacks immediate functional utility.
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