Antibiotic resistance (AR) is ancient. Use of antibiotics is a selective driving force that enriches AR genes and promotes the emergence of resistant pathogens. It also has been widely accepted that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) occurs everywhere and plays a critical role in the transmission of AR genes among bacteria. However, our understanding of HGT processes primarily build on extensivein vitrostudies; to date, there is still a significant knowledge gap regardingin situHGT events as well as the factors that influence HGT in different ecological niches. This review is focused on the HGT process in the intestinal tract, a ‘melting pot’ for gene exchange. Several factors that potentially influencein vivoHGT efficiency in the intestine are identified and summarized, which include SOS-inducing agents, stress hormones, microbiota and microbiota-derived factors. We highlight recent discoveries demonstrating that certain antibiotics, which are widely used in animal industry, can enhance HGT in the intestine by serving as DNA-damaging, SOS-inducing agents. Despite recent progress, research onin vivoHGT events is still in its infancy. A better understanding of the factors influencing HGT in the intestine is highly warranted for developing effective strategies to mitigate AR in animal production as well as in future agricultural ecosystems.

中文翻译：

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影响肠道水平基因转移的因素

抗生素耐药性（AR）是古老的。抗生素的使用是一种选择性驱动力，可丰富 AR 基因并促进耐药病原体的出现。人们普遍认为，水平基因转移 (HGT) 无处不在，并且在 AR 基因在细菌之间的传递中起关键作用。然而，我们对 HGT 过程的理解主要建立在广泛的体外学习; 迄今为止，仍然存在重大的知识鸿沟原位HGT事件以及影响不同生态位HGT的因素。这篇综述的重点是肠道中的 HGT 过程，这是一个基因交换的“熔炉”。可能影响的几个因素体内鉴定和总结了肠道中的 HGT 效率，包括 SOS 诱导剂、应激激素、微生物群和微生物群衍生因子。我们强调最近的发现，证明某些广泛用于动物工业的抗生素可以通过作为 DNA 损伤、SOS 诱导剂来增强肠道中的 HGT。尽管最近取得了进展，但研究体内HGT 事件仍处于起步阶段。非常有必要更好地了解影响肠道 HGT 的因素，以制定有效的策略来减轻动物生产以及未来农业生态系统中的 AR。