Although we all present the physical characteristics
of humans, a new study has shown that human DNA may be composed of over 145
genes that originated from organisms such as plants and bacteria. Horizontal gene
transfer, is a way in which bacteria exchange genetic information with
neighboring microorganisms. This is commonly used to allow organisms to acquire
resistance. Although this concept is not fairly new, studies reveal that this
mechanism may have played a role in human evolution. The article illustrates
that while many believe the tree of life is clear and displays the lineages of
organisms through generations, it may be much more messy and tangled than we
originally believed.
Biologists
from the University of Cambridge sequenced the genomes of 40 different
organisms and species, and compared their DNA to that of humans. One hundred
and forty five genes are believed to have originated from simpler bacteria's,
with seventeen genes that may have been transferred through horizontal gene
transfer. The researchers have identified
the functions of these genes in our bodies, but they are still investigating the
time period in which these genes may have been transferred and the
circumstances which may have lead to this.
This
discovery can change everything we believe to know about evolution. The origin
of man is often debated in the scientific community, and these studies can
provide us with a clue as to where humans have developed from. The article
shows that there are many who believe in an alternative explanation for these
genes. One possibility suggested by Johnathan Eisen, microbiologist from UC
Davis, is that while horizontal gene transfer is a possibility, it is also possible
that these genes were passed through by a distant relative that was lost in
some generations.
Original Article: http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/03/humans-may-harbor-more-100-genes-other-organisms
Secondary Article: http://amrls.cvm.msu.edu/microbiology/molecular-basis-for-antimicrobial-resistance/acquired-resistance/acquisition-of-antimicrobial-resistance-via-horizontal-gene-transfer
No comments:
Post a Comment