Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays an important role in the evolution of life on the Earth.
This view is supported by numerous occasions of HGT that are recorded in the genomes of …

Mutation and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) continually give rise to new bacterial
genotypes. Infrequently, such new bacterial genotypes establish and spread in the larger …

Extracellular DNA (exDNA) is abundant in many habitats, including soil, sediments, oceans
and freshwater as well as the intercellular milieu of metazoa. For a long time, its origin has …

The finding that total viral abundance is higher than total prokaryotic abundance and that a
significant fraction of the prokaryotic community is infected with phages in aquatic systems …

Agriculture faces the unprecedented task of feeding a world population of 9 billion people by
2050 while simultaneously avoiding harmful environmental and social effects. One effort to …

▪ Abstract Transgenic plants expressing insecticidal proteins from the bacterium, Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt), are revolutionizing agriculture. Bt, which had limited use as a foliar …

Upon entering the soil environment, extracellular DNA is subjected to dynamic biological,
physical, and chemical factors that determine its fate. This review concerns the fate of both …

Approximately fifty marker genes used for transgenic and transplastomic plant research or
crop development have been assessed for efficiency, biosafety, scientific applications and …

In the rhizosphere, exudates from plants and microorganisms as well as stable soil organic
matter influence processes that can control plant growth, microbial infections, and nutrient …

Despite numerous future promises, there is a multitude of concerns about the impact of GM
crops on the environment. Key issues in the environmental assessment of GM crops are …