Researchers identify a class of genetic agents that allow direct genetic information transfer between living things.

 Jan 06 2023 01:51 pm IST

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have uncovered a new secret that might help us comprehend the genetic code better. They have discovered a brand-new mechanism through which the usual ocean microbes, which are responsible for the ocean's oxygen production, exchange genetic material.

Prochlorococcus bacteria, one of the tiniest creatures discovered everywhere around the oceans, share genetic material with one another despite their geographical separation. It is generally known that these bacteria can adapt to many environments and can evolve. But the fundamental mechanism is still a mystery.

Researchers have identified a new class of genetic agents engaged in horizontal gene transfer, in which genetic information is directly transferred across organisms, whether they are of the same species or not, in a study that was published in the journal Cell. Researchers found that horizontal gene transfer speeds up microbial development and that the vast, oligotrophic oceans have a similar mechanism for microbial diversity.

Tycheposons, DNA sequences that can incorporate numerous whole genes as well as surrounding sequences and can spontaneously split off from the surrounding DNA, have been identified as the agent responsible for this gene transfer.

Numerous Prochlorococcus genomes from various habitats throughout the world were examined by the scientists, along with lab-grown samples of various variations.