Gene transfer agents (GTAs) have been identified in four bacterial and archaeal lineages. These genetic entities resemble phages, but the genes encoding the phage-like structure of the GTA particle are encoded within the genome of the producing cell, and GTAs instead package random pieces of the producing cell's genome. Here, the defining characteristics, potential functions and possible origins of GTAs are reviewed.
- Andrew S. Lang
- Olga Zhaxybayeva
- J. Thomas Beatty
