Studies show that gene acquisition through natural transformation has contributed
significantly to the adaptation and ecological diversification of several bacterial species …

Natural genetic transformation is the active uptake of free DNA by bacterial cells and the
heritable incorporation of its genetic information. Since the famous discovery of …

Natural bacterial transformation involves the internalization and chromosomal integration of
DNA and has now been documented in∼ 80 species. Recent advances have established …

Natural transformation is widely distributed among bacteria. Its variations, in terms of specific
mechanisms, may in part reflect responses to different selective pressures in different …

Horizontal genetic transfer (HGT) has played an important role in bacterial evolution at least
since the origins of the bacterial divisions, and HGT still facilitates the origins of bacterial …

Highlights•Natural transformation mediates the spread of antibiotic resistance
genes.•Natural transformation can aid gene transfer between unrelated taxa.•Natural …

Bacterial genomes are extremely dynamic and mosaic in nature. A substantial amount of
genetic information is inserted into or deleted from such genomes through the process of …

The importance of lateral gene transfer in genome evolution of microbial eukaryotes is
slowly being appreciated. Acquisitions of genes have led to metabolic adaptation in diverse …

Horizontal gene transfers among bacteria, such as natural transformation or conjugation,
may have played an important role in bacterial evolution. They are thought to have been …

Unlike eukaryotes, which evolve principally through the modification of existing genetic
information, bacteria have obtained a significant proportion of their genetic diversity through …