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Cited by 200Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsGut microbiota and healthBacterial Genetics and Biotechnology

Phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer and its implications for the human gut microbiome

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Borodovich, Tatiana, Shkoporov, Andrey N, Ross, R Paul, Hill, Colin·2022·Gastroenterology Report
DOI 10.1093/gastro/goac012PMC PMC9006064
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Abstract

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the microbiome has profound consequences for human health and disease. The spread of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence, and pathogenicity determinants predominantly occurs by way of HGT. Evidence exists of extensive horizontal transfer in the human gut microbiome. Phage transduction is a type of HGT event in which a bacteriophage transfers non-viral DNA from one bacterial host cell to another. The abundance of tailed bacteriophages in the human gut suggests that transduction could act as a significant mode of HGT in the gut microbiome. Here we review in detail the known mechanisms of phage-mediated HGT, namely specialized and generalized transduction, lateral transduction, gene-transfer agents, and molecular piracy, as well as methods used to detect phage-mediated HGT, and discuss its potential implications for the human gut microbiome.

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  • Phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer shapes the evolutionary dynamics of tumor-associated bacteria.

    “Phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer further shapes the evolutionary dynamics of tumor-associated bacteria [29]”

    From Phage therapy in oncology: opportunities for cancer prevention and treatment (2026) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Lateral transduction section describes phage-mediated transfer as promoting genome mobility and adaptation in bacteria, and suggests it may occur in the gut microbiome. It does not address tumor-associated bacteria, so it does not establish the claim for that specific population. The Discussion also says reliable data are lacking to confirm phage-mediated transfer’s effects on human health and disease. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Borodovich, T., Shkoporov, A. N., Ross, R. P., & Hill, C.
Affiliations
University College Cork (IE)
Corresponding author
Borodovich, Tatiana
ORCID
Venue
Gastroenterology Report
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2022
Volume
10
Pages
goac012-goac012
ISSN
2052-0034 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1093/gastro/goac012
PMC
PMC9006064
OpenAlex
W4221042154
Cited by
200
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 57 · 2025: 67 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 6
FWCI
19.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Gastroenterology report (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Lenus, The Irish Health Repository (Dr Steevens Hospital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Science Foundation Ireland (SFI/12/RC/2273_P2)
  • Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship (220646/Z/20/Z)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
Keywords
horizontal gene transfer, bacteriophage transduction, human gut microbiome, tailed bacteriophages, generalized transduction, specialized transduction, gene transfer agents, antibiotic resistance genes, virulence genes, pathogenicity determinants

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