#gene transfer

[mkupcha]

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Horizontal Gene Transfer Methods:

Transformation: Loose genetic material (also known as naked DNA) moves into the bacterial cell via pores in the cell wall, once inside the genetic material is replicated via normal bacterial processes and goes to either cell during bacterial reproduction. Then when the cell dies the genetic material is released and the process occurs again.

Transduction: When viruses containing genetic material infect bacterial cells. After this occurs the cell can go through two life cycles. The first, Lytic cycle, is when the cell is forced to keep producing viruses until the cell is too full and lyses itself. Effectively killing itself and releasing the viruses so that they can infect another cell. The other process, Lysogenic cycle, is when the genetic material gets incorporated into the original genetic material of the cell and is replicated when the cell replicates, making more and more cells with the genetic material. Then these new cells with the genetic material can turn back into the former life cycle and make viruses and then destroy themselves spreading the viruses to more cells. 

Conjugation: This process is similar to human reproduction in some ways. The process occurs when a cell with a specific sequence of DNA the positive cell +F also known as the male is introduced to a cell without the sequence of DNA a -F cell also known as the female. The the male produces a sex pilas also called a conjugation tube and inserts it into the female to insert the genetic material. Then since the female cell now has the genetic material it is male and can produce a sex pilas.

[carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory]

Horizontal Gene Transfer, the Placenta, and Velvet Worms

Everyone reading this (except you robots out there) inherited genes from their mother and father. This is the predominant way, in multicellular animals and plants, for genes to be transferred from one organism to another, from parent to child, and is called vertical gene transfer. But less commonly, genes can be transferred from an individual unrelated to you, possibly from a different species, and is called horizontal gene transfer. Viruses accomplish horizontal gene transfer naturally, while in the lab, genetic engineers use viruses to transfer genes horizontally to create genetically modified organisms.

The gene syncytin-2, which produces an essential membrane between the mammalian placenta and the developing fetus, appears to have come from retroviruses, who use the gene to produce a membrane around their virus capsule. If our ancestors had not acquired this retrovirus gene, you and I would not be here today. We have to be grateful for horizontal gene transfer.

Now for the speculative part of this article. Velvet worms (Onychophora) are a whole phylum (major group) of animals most people have never encountered. They look kind of like a cross between an earthworm and a millipede. 

A velvet worm of the genus Oroperipatus. [image from Wikipedia]

Nowadays, they are tropical and terrestrial, but their marine relatives once occurred 500 million years ago. Unusual for their bizarre habit of shooting strings of glue at their prey, some (not all) velvet worms have placentas. That leads me to two questions, the answers to which I do not know. (1) Did retroviruses transfer this essential membrane-producing gene to the velvet worms, as they did for mammals? (2) Do the velvet worms that have a placenta also have a belly button?

To address the question whether retroviruses transferred the gene, researchers could examine whether the syncytin-2 gene occurs in velvet worms, and if so, determine whether the gene’s DNA in velvet worms matches that of the retroviruses? Finding a close DNA match for the syncytin-2 gene in both groups of organisms would be a strong case that the retroviruses are responsible. To determine whether they have a belly button, let’s get some velvet worms and scrutinize their bellies with a microscope.

Timothy A. Pearce, PhD, is the head of the mollusks section at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

[scriptgenetics]

Welcome to the script fam! My medium-hard scifi story has an alien who eats ppl and assimilates bits of their DNA. This process is random & involuntary. What's the most plausible genetic process for this? (I was thinking Horizontal Gene Transfer?)

DNA assimilation is a bit tricky when we start getting into more complicated (i.e. multicellular) organisms, because in order for this new DNA to have an effect it must be integrated into all of the target cells. Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) would do the job very well in a single celled organism, but less so in a more complicated one (but if the DNA was integrated in the germ line [sex cells] it could be passed onto offspring).

Then how could this happen? Well, a symbiotic relationship between your alien and another species could work quite nicely. We see HGT in plants that have symbiotic relationships with bacteria much more regularly than in other multicellular organisms. In this case, the bacteria could uptake that DNA, talk to all of the bacteria nearby through HGT, and dramatically increase the number of cells in your alien that could come into contact with the new DNA through another HGT step. It’s not a super clean or fast solution, but it does fall more into the realm of “realism”. And, on that note, bacteria reproduce fairly quickly, so you could see this over a relatively short period of time (think days not weeks).

Good luck with your story! This was a fun thought exercise for me, so thanks for asking!

[scienceswitch]

Naked Mole Rat's Longevity Gene Gives Mice a Longer Life

The naked mole rat is arguably the strangest looking mammal on the planet. However, beneath its wrinkly exterior may lie secrets that could extend human lifespan. In a new study, published in the journal Nature, researchers reported that they successfully transferred a naked mole rat gene into mice, leading to improved health and longevity. Researchers transferred a longevity gene from naked mole…

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[iheartvelma]

How antidepressants help bacteria resist antibiotics

A laboratory study unravels ways non-antibiotic drugs can contribute to drug resistance.

While this is concerning, further studies need to be done, and the researchers stress that you shouldn’t discontinue taking your meds.

[mercoglianotrueblog]

Worst not over yet, perhaps

Worst not over yet, perhaps

The most of world will feel recessionary headwinds in 2023. The global economic projection could be the worst witnessed since 2001.

#Amer.s deaths excess from mass jabs with experimental #gene transfer not #CoV

German #BASF #Mercedes #Merck: high hope on #China

#food #energy #transport' inflation 30% not 7%-11% declared by #US #EU including things to widen the scope so rate goes down

https://salvatoremercogliano.blogspot.com/2023/01/worst-not-over-yet-perhaps.html?spref=tw

[brocklrc]

Plant gene has naturally crossed into insects – and helps them feed

One species of whitefly, an aphid-like insect, carries a chunk of plant DNA in its genome that protects it from some of the poisons that plants produce

Read the full article in Your LRC.

[coolhardbouquettiger-blog]

Cancer Gene Therapy Market was valued at $289 million in 2016, and is estimated to reach $2,082 million by 2023, registering a CAGR of 32.4% from 2017 to 2023.

This report entails a detailed quantitative analysis of the current market trends from 2016 to 2023 to identify the prevailing opportunities. Market estimations are based on comprehensive analysis of the key developments in the industry. In-depth analysis, based on geography assists in understanding the regional market to assist in strategic business planning. The development strategies adopted by key manufacturers are enlisted to understand the competitive scenario of the market.