Genomic_island
Genomic island
Part of a genome that has evidence of horizontal origins
A genomic island (GI) is part of a genome that has evidence of horizontal origins.[1] The term is usually used in microbiology, especially with regard to bacteria. A GI can code for many functions, can be involved in symbiosis or pathogenesis, and may help an organism's adaptation. Many sub-classes of GIs exist that are based on the function that they confer.[2] For example, a GI associated with pathogenesis is often called a pathogenicity island (PAIs), while GIs that contain many antibiotic resistant genes are referred to as antibiotic resistance islands. The same GI can occur in distantly related species as a result of various types of horizontal gene transfer (transformation, conjugation, transduction). This can be determined by base composition analysis, as well as phylogeny estimations.Genomic island is an segment of genome that are thought to have originated from horizontal transfer method. Genomic Island was first discovered by Hacker etal in 2000
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