Horizontal Gene Transfer

Horizontal gene transfer describes the incorporation of genetic material into a genome of an organism without being inherited. The genetic material most often genes or clusters of genes that serve a specific function originate from another organism that not necessarily belongs to the same species. Even a gene transfer from bacteria to humans has been observed [1].

1. Gunnar Schröder u. a., „Conjugative DNA transfer into human cells by the VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion system of the bacterial pathogen Bartonella henselae“, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 108, Nr. 35 (August 30, 2011): 14643-14648.