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4 years ago in Computational Biology , Public Health and Microbiology By Divyacse@gmail.com
How can horizontal gene transfer be studied using computational biology, and what methods validate these findings?
As genomics generates ever-larger datasets, computational prediction has become the first step in identifying potential HGT events. However, I find the array of tools and algorithms can be overwhelming. My question aims to pinpoint which computational strategies are most reliable and, crucially, how to transition from a bioinformatics prediction to a biologically verified fact.
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By Hhrp Answered 2 years ago
I would recommend starting with a combination of comparative genomics and phylogenetic inconsistency analysis. From my experience, tools that look for atypical sequence composition or phylogenies that conflict with the species tree are most effective for initial screening. However, computational findings are just hypotheses. To validate them, you must move to the lab. I have seen that techniques like PCR amplification across taxonomic lines, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), or demonstrating the acquired gene's function in the recipient organism are the gold standards for confirmation.
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