Pointed by Denyse as always, an interesting speculation about horizontal gene transfer. The researchers are NOT saying this process happens in Nature, only that an experiment shows it CAN happen.
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Electroporation uses an electric field to create temporary pores in the cell membrane. This lets molecules, like DNA or proteins, enter the target cell.
The research group was led by Professor Eiichi Hondo and Assistant Professor Atsuo Iida from Nagoya University. They thought that if electricity flows in a river, it might affect the cells of nearby organisms. Cells can incorporate DNA fragments in water, known as environmental DNA. To test this, they exposed the young fish in their laboratory to a DNA solution with a marker that glowed in the light to see if the zebrafish had taken the DNA. Then, they introduced an electric eel and prompted it to bite a feeder to discharge electricity.
The researchers discovered that 5% of the larvae had markers showing gene transfer. “This indicates that the discharge from the electric eel promoted gene transfer to the cells, even though eels have different shapes of pulse and unstable voltage compared to machines usually used in electroporation.
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Reminds me of electrotyping, where a strong field causes copper ions to deposit in a complex pattern on a graphite surface.
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The first step is to get an image of the movable type in wax. Polistra is pouring beeswax on the lead electrode which will be connected to the negative side.
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Now the impression, pushing the movable type into the wax. At industrial scale, where the movable type was often newspaper size, this job was done by a heavy press.
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Here’s the impression in wax, firmly bonded to the lead. Note that the original movable type is male and reversed, while the wax is female and forward.
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With the outer tank transparent in this view, Polistra is pointing to the graphite smoothly draped over the wax.
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After connecting the battery, the charge starts pulling copper atoms from the copper anode. The copper atoms are drawn to the negatively charged graphite surface, and gradually fill in the crevices, forming a surface with even thickness. This process would take about 24 hours in the experimental setup.
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It should be possible to check whether natural electrotyping actually happens. Do real organisms show more HGT in areas where eels or other radio fish are active?
Polistra's Mill 