Mitochondria are thought to be the descendants of certain alpha proteobacteria. They are, however, no longer able to lead indepe
ndent lives because most genes originally present on their chromosome have moved to the nuclear genome. Which phenomenon accounts for the movement of these genes?A) plasmolysisB) conjugationC) translationD) endocytosisE) horizontal gene transfer
Horizontal gene transfer can also be referred to as lateral gene transfer. It is the transmission of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) between different genomes.
Horizontal gene transfer has been shown to occur between different species, such as between prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms.
Horizontal gene transfer is made possible by the existence of genetic elements, such as plasmids, transposons, and bacteriophages (bacteria that infects viruses).
