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Horizontal gene transfer into the genomes of insects

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Abstract

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is widespread in the world of prokaryotes, but the examples of this phenomenon among multicellular animals, particularly insects, are few. This review examines the transfer of genetic material to the nuclear genomes of insects from the mitochondrial genome (intracellular HGT), as well as from the genomes of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and unrelated insects. In most cases, the mechanisms of this transfer are unknown. Many pro- and eukaryotic genes that moved through the HGT are expressed in the insect genome and in some cases can provide the evolutionary innovations that are considered as aromorphoses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    I. A. Zakharov

  2. Department of Genetics, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    I. A. Zakharov

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  1. I. A. Zakharov
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Correspondence to I. A. Zakharov.

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Original Russian Text © I.A. Zakharov, 2016, published in Genetika, 2016, Vol. 52, No. 7, pp. 804–809.

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Zakharov, I.A. Horizontal gene transfer into the genomes of insects. Russ J Genet 52, 702–707 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795416070115

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795416070115

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