User:Alexander S Mikheyev/Notebook/rotifer alien genes

Summary

• Bdelloid rotifers are tiny aquatic invertebrates. They are capable of asexual reproduction, and a number of lines of evidence suggest that they are, in fact, ancient asexuals [1, 2] They appear to acquire large numbers of genes from their environment [3]. We are interested in tracking the fate of these genes over time to answer the following questions:
  • Can foreign genes successfully integrate into existing eukaryotic genomes?
  • Can foreign genes serve as important sources of evolutionary novelty in an asexual organism?

References

1. Mark Welch DB and Meselson MS. . pmid:11381112. PubMed HubMed [11381112]
2. Mark Welch D and Meselson M. . pmid:10817991. PubMed HubMed [10817991]
3. Gladyshev EA, Meselson M, and Arkhipova IR. . pmid:18511688. PubMed HubMed [18511688]

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