Tag Archive for 'Gene transfer'

Electric organ discharge exposure from electric eel to zebrafish larvae. Image credit: Sakaki et al., doi: 10.7717/peerj.16596.

Study: Electric Discharges from Electric Eels Enhance DNA Transformation in Fish Larvae

Dec 6, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Electric eels — three species of freshwater fish in the genus Electrophorus — are known for their ability to produce electric organ discharge...

Silverleaf whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) carry a plant-derived phenolic glucoside malonyltransferase gene BtPMaT1, which enables the insects to neutralize phenolic glycosides in host plants. Image credit: Xia et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.02.014.

Silverleaf Whiteflies Carry Plant-Derived Detoxification Gene, New Study Shows

Mar 26, 2021 by News Staff

The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) incorporated a gene called BtPMaT1 from plants into its genome roughly 35 million years ago and now uses it to...

This digitally colorized, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image, depicts a clump of yellow-colored, spheroid shaped, Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that were enmeshed in a blue-colored, filamentous extracellular matrix, which normally binds cells together within the body’s various tissue types Image credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Artificial Sweeteners May Play Role in Spread of Antibiotic Resistance

Feb 26, 2021 by News Staff

Four commonly used artificial sweeteners – saccharine, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium — can promote the horizontal transfer...

Cheng et al report genome sequences and analyses of two early diverging Zygnematophyceae species, Spirogloea muscicola and Mesotaenium endlicherianum, that share the same subaerial/terrestrial habitat with the earliest-diverging embryophytes, the bryophytes. Image credit: Cheng et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.10.019.

Natural Genetic Engineering Allowed Plants to Move from Water to Land

Nov 15, 2019 by News Staff

Horizontal gene transfer from soil bacteria to algae allowed early life to move to land, according to new research. Cheng et al report genome sequences...