Desiccation does not drastically increase the accessibility of exogenous DNA to nuclear genomes: evidence from the frequency of endosymbiotic DNA transfer.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a widely accepted force in the evolution of prokaryotic genomes, its role in the evolution of eukaryotic genomes remains hotly debated. Some bdelloid rotifers that are resistant to extreme desiccation and radiation undergo a very high level of HGT, whereas in another desiccation-resistant invertebrate, the tardigrade, the pattern does not exist. Overall, the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by prolonged desiccation have been postulated to open a gateway to the nuclear genome for exogenous DNA integration and thus to facilitate the HGT process, thereby enhancing the rate of endosymbiotic DNA transfer (EDT).

Results

We first surveyed the abundance of nuclear mitochondrial DNAs (NUMTs) and nuclear plastid DNAs (NUPTs)

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7329468 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature