Table 1 Examples of HGT of prokaryotic genes to protozoans, insects, and nematodes
Prokaryotic gene donors | Protozoan, insect and nematode gene recipients | Horizontally transfered genes |
|---|---|---|
Wolbachia | Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito), Anopheles gambiae (malaria mosquito), and Drosophila melanogaster | Many prokaryotic genes, such as gag-pol, D34 immunodominant antigen, actin and aminotransferase genes [65, 66] |
Escherichia coli | Caenorhabditis elegans | Antibiotic-resistance genes [67] |
Prokaryotes | Anaerobic protozoans: Trichomonas vaginalis, Entamoeba histolytica, and Naegleria gruberi | Alcohol dehydrogenase (adh gene) and Pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase genes [1, 68] |
Prokaryotes | Dictyostelium discoideum (soil-living amoeba) | 18 prokaryotic genes [48] |
Prokaryotes | Trypanosomatids: Leishmania spp., Angomonas deanei and Strigomonas culicis | Bacterial amino acid pathways [58] |
α-proteobacteria | Leishmania spp. | Mitochondria (initiation point of apoptosis) [69] |
β-proteobacteria and γ-proteobacteria | Trypanosomatids: Leishmania spp., Angomonas deanei and Strigomonas culicis | Heme synthesis gene [50] |
Peptostreptococcus harei | Trichomonas vaginalis | Lateral gene transfer fragment (TvLF) [51] |