Vertical vs. horizontal gene transfer
What is the main difference between vertical and horizontal gene transfer?
Vertical transfer occurs between generations, while horizontal transfer occurs between organisms outside parent-to-offspring inheritance.
Why is single-cell genomics useful for studying uncultivated microorganisms?
It allows scientists to study their genomes without growing them in a laboratory.
What percentage of microbes can actually be cultured?
Only about 1%
How can horizontal gene transfer help bacteria adapt to new environments?
It can provide new genes, allowing bacteria to gain traits such as antibiotic resistance or the ability to use new nutrients.
How can single-cell genomics help scientists understand a microorganism’s ecological role?
By identifying its genes and predicting its metabolic capabilities and adaptations (e.g., for sulfur oxidation, methane metabolism, or nitrogen cycling).
Which three genomic features signal that a bacterium is capable of fast growth?
Multiple 16S rRNA gene copies, protein-synthesis genes located near the origin of replication, and high codon usage bias.
How horizontal gene transfer can complicate the use of 16S rRNA-based phylogeny to infer evolutionary relationships between microbial taxa.
The 16S rRNA gene is usually inherited vertically, so it is useful for reconstructing microbial evolutionary relationships.
HGT transfers genes between different microorganisms, so some genes may show different evolutionary relationships than the 16S rRNA gene.
What is the difference between single-cell genomics and bulk metagenomics?
Single-cell genomics sequences the genome of one individual microbial cell, while bulk metagenomics sequences DNA from an entire microbial community.
Single-cell genomics links genes to a specific cell, whereas bulk metagenomics provides an overview of the community’s genetic potential.
What are the two main types of metagenomic screening?
Sequence-based and function-based.