Catenulida flatworms can express genes from its microbiome or from the DNA it eats

Transfected these worms using plasmids containing a GFP reporter gene. They can express genes present in plasmids carried by bacteria and that are harboured in naked DNA, such as plasmids or PCR fragments, transfected by electroporation; they can also express genes taken up during feeding. The microbiome associated with worm maintenance was evaluated, and the results indicated that when a plasmid is maintained in the microbiome, gfp gene expression is stable.