Roberts, AP;
Kreth, J;
(2014)
The impact of horizontal gene transfer on the adaptive ability of the human oral microbiome.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
, 4
, Article 124. 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00124.
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Abstract
The oral microbiome is composed of a multitude of different species of bacteria, each capable of occupying one or more of the many different niches found within the human oral cavity. This community exhibits many types of complex interactions which enable it to colonize and rapidly respond to changes in the environment in which they live. One of these interactions is the transfer, or acquisition, of DNA within this environment, either from co-resident bacterial species or from exogenous sources. Horizontal gene transfer in the oral cavity gives some of the resident bacteria the opportunity to sample a truly enormous metagenome affording them considerable adaptive potential which may be key to survival in such a varying environment. In this review the underlying mechanisms of HGT are discussed in relation to the oral microbiome with numerous examples described where the direct acquisition of exogenous DNA has contributed to the fitness of the bacterial host within the human oral cavity.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The impact of horizontal gene transfer on the adaptive ability of the human oral microbiome. |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00124 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2014.00124 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | PMCID: PMC4157583 Copyright © 2014 Roberts and Kreth. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | biofilm, conjugation, extracellular DNA, horizontal gene transfer, hydrogen peroxide, mobile genetic elements, oral cavity, transformation |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Eastman Dental Institute |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1450106 |
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