Prokaryotic Sex: Eukaryote-like Qualities of Recombination in an Archaean Lineage  Frederick M. Cohan, Stephanie Aracena  Current Biology  Volume 22, Issue 15, Pages R601-R602 (August 2012) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.06.052 Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Cell fusion and recombination in Haloferax. Genetic exchange can occur in Haloferax through cell fusion followed by recombination, within (A) and between (B) species. Both cell fusion and recombination are reduced between species (by 5-fold and 8-fold, respectively), yielding an overall 40-fold reduction in genetic exchange. This is much less sexual isolation than would be expected for bacterial species that are equally divergent (expected 1000-fold reduction). These results suggest that genetic transfer may be easier among archaean than among bacterial species. However, it is not yet known over what phylogenetic distances archaean cells can easily fuse. Current Biology 2012 22, R601-R602DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2012.06.052) Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions