Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is well known as an important driver of genome evolution in bacteria and archaea, but its importance in eukaryote evolution has yet to be fully elucidated. There is now abundant evidence indicating that LGT has played a role in the adaptation of eukaryotes to new environments and conditions, including host–parasite interactions. However, the mechanisms and frequency of LGT across the tree of eukaryotes remain poorly understood. Here we review evidence for known and potential mechanisms of LGT into diverse eukaryote lineages with a particular focus on protists, and we discuss trends emerging from recently reported examples. We also explore the potential role of LGT in generating ‘pan-genomes’ in diverse eukaryotic species.

众所周知，横向基因转移（LGT）是细菌和古细菌中基因组进化的重要驱动力，但其在真核生物进化中的重要性尚未得到充分阐明。现在有大量证据表明LGT在真核生物适应新环境和新条件（包括宿主与寄生虫的相互作用）中发挥了作用。然而，关于真核生物跨树的LGT的机制和频率仍然知之甚少。在这里，我们回顾了将LGT分为各种真核生物谱系的已知和潜在机制的证据，并特别关注了原生生物，并讨论了最近报道的例子中出现的趋势。我们还探讨了LGT在各种真核生物中产生“泛基因组”的潜在作用。