Study Finds Millions of Years of Bacterial DNA Transfers in Multiple Cockroach Genomes
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 16
Study Finds Millions of Years of Bacterial DNA Transfers in Multiple Cockroach Genomes
2 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 16
Summary
Multiple cockroach species carry bacterial DNA acquired through horizontal gene transfer, with the new study indicating those inserts persisted for millions of years.
The finding is notable because such transfers are usually associated with microbes, while multicellular animals must get foreign DNA into a nucleus and into the right inherited cell.
Researchers say microbes swap genes more easily because their DNA is not enclosed in a nucleus and any altered cell can pass changes to descendants.
The results add evidence that evolution is shaped not only by branching descent but also by gene exchanges linking distant parts of the tree of life.