About this Research Topic
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) refers to the transfer of genetic material from one organism to another that is not its offspring. HGT is a common phenomenon in the microbial world and plays a crucial role in the evolution and adaptation of microorganisms. HGT allows microbes to acquire new traits and functions, such as antibiotic resistance, virulence, or the ability to degrade pollutants. HGT also contributes to the genomic diversity and plasticity of microbial communities, also known as microbiomes, which are collections of microorganisms that inhabit specific environments. Understanding HGT in microbiomes is important for many fields, including medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology, as it can help us better understand the spread of diseases, the evolution of antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity, and the development of new biotechnological applications, such as controlling the spread of antibiotic resistance and other harmful traits.
HGT has been particularly well-studied in bacteria, where it can confer new abilities such as antibiotic resistance, virulence, and metabolic pathways. The presence of HGT in microbiomes, which are communities of microorganisms that occupy a particular environment, can also impact the host's health and influence the overall function of the microbiome. For example, the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes from one bacterium to another in the gut microbiome can result in the spread of resistant strains, making it more difficult to treat infections. In recent years, advances in high-throughput sequencing technology have allowed for the characterization of HGT events in microbiomes with increasing detail and precision. The study of HGT in microbiomes is a rapidly evolving field with numerous important implications for understanding the evolution of microorganisms, the role of the microbiome in health and disease, and the development of new treatments and therapies.
This Research Topic welcomes high-quality original research, including research articles, method articles, reviews, and protocols, about horizontal gene transfer in microbes and microbiomes, such as genomic analysis, transcriptomics, and functional assays.
We encourage the submissions to identify the presence of transferred genes, track their expression, and determine their function in the recipient organism.
We also encourage the submissions to better understand the ecology and evolution of microorganisms and to provide new insights into the role of HGT in shaping the evolution and functionality of microbes and microbiomes.
HGT has been particularly well-studied in bacteria, where it can confer new abilities such as antibiotic resistance, virulence, and metabolic pathways. The presence of HGT in microbiomes, which are communities of microorganisms that occupy a particular environment, can also impact the host's health and influence the overall function of the microbiome. For example, the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes from one bacterium to another in the gut microbiome can result in the spread of resistant strains, making it more difficult to treat infections. In recent years, advances in high-throughput sequencing technology have allowed for the characterization of HGT events in microbiomes with increasing detail and precision. The study of HGT in microbiomes is a rapidly evolving field with numerous important implications for understanding the evolution of microorganisms, the role of the microbiome in health and disease, and the development of new treatments and therapies.
This Research Topic welcomes high-quality original research, including research articles, method articles, reviews, and protocols, about horizontal gene transfer in microbes and microbiomes, such as genomic analysis, transcriptomics, and functional assays.
We encourage the submissions to identify the presence of transferred genes, track their expression, and determine their function in the recipient organism.
We also encourage the submissions to better understand the ecology and evolution of microorganisms and to provide new insights into the role of HGT in shaping the evolution and functionality of microbes and microbiomes.
Keywords: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), Virulence factors (VFs), Genetic diversity, Adaptation, Evolution
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