DNA Discovery
Comments Off
UT Arlington researchers have concluded that there鈥檚 more than one way to transfer DNA among species.
Genome biologist C茅dric Feschotte and postdoctoral researchers Cl茅ment Gilbert and Sarah Schaack found the first solid evidence of horizontal DNA transfer鈥攖he movement of genetic material among non-mating species鈥攂etween parasitic invertebrates and some of their vertebrate hosts. The long-held theory is that mammals obtain genes vertically, or handed down from parents to offspring. Bacteria receive their genes vertically and also horizontally, passed from one unrelated individual to another or even between different species.
The findings were published in Nature, one of the world鈥檚 foremost scientific journals.