A gene transfer agent or "GTA" is a virus-like element that contains random pieces of the host chromosome and are found in most members of the alphaproteobacteria order Rhodobacterales.[1] They are encoded by the host genome. GTAs transfer DNA so frequently that they may have an important role in evolution.[2] A 2010 report found that genes for antibiotic resistance could be transferred by engineering GTAs in the laboratory.[1]