Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
Trends Plant Sci. 2010 Jan;15(1):11-22. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2009.10.001. Epub 2009 Nov 10.
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is increasingly being recognized as a significant force in the evolution of eukaryotic genomes. Plants have been both donors and recipients of horizontally mobilized genes and their genetic barter partners include prokaryotes and eukaryotes from all kingdoms. By expanding the gene pool beyond species boundaries, HGT events can drive genomic and phenotypic changes that increase fitness substantially. Accumulating evidence suggests that HGT is particularly prevalent between organisms that are either intimately associated or establish at least occasionally cell-cell contacts (e.g. in mutualistic or parasitic relationships). Here, I summarize current knowledge about HGT in plants, discuss possible molecular mechanisms and adaptive values of HGT events and highlight recent progress made in reconstructing HGT processes in laboratory experiments.
水平基因转移 (HGT) 正日益被视为真核生物基因组进化的重要力量。植物既是水平转移基因的供体，也是受体，其遗传交易伙伴包括来自所有生物领域的原核生物和真核生物。通过将基因库扩展到物种边界之外，HGT 事件可以驱动基因组和表型的实质性变化，从而提高适应性。越来越多的证据表明，HGT 在密切相关或至少偶尔建立细胞-细胞接触的生物体之间特别普遍（例如在互利或寄生关系中）。在这里，我总结了目前关于植物 HGT 的知识，讨论了 HGT 事件的可能分子机制和适应价值，并强调了在实验室实验中重建 HGT 过程方面的最新进展。
