# How to define a 'HGT gene'?

**URL:** <https://forum.biobakery.org/t/how-to-define-a-hgt-gene/8763>\
**Category:** WAAFLE\
**Created:** [February 9, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/how-to-define-a-hgt-gene/8763 "2026-02-09T14:08:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![qbdong122](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.biobakery.org/qbdong122/32/2545_2.png) [@qbdong122](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/qbdong122)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/how-to-define-a-hgt-gene/8763/1 "2026-02-09T14:08:59Z")

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I’m trying to understand how to identify an HGT gene. If ‘B’ is the HGT gene in a contig like ‘AAAB’, and ‘A’ is the HGT gene in ‘ABBB’, then what about ‘AB’, ‘AAABB’? Is the gene in the minority always the HGT one? When the quantities of A and B are equal, which one is the HGT gene?

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**Author:** ![qbdong122](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.biobakery.org/qbdong122/32/2545_2.png) [@qbdong122](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/qbdong122)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 6:47am UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/how-to-define-a-hgt-gene/8763/2 "2026-02-10T06:47:57Z")

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What about a ‘ABBBBBBBBA‘ contig? Is the HGT gene “A“ or “B“?