New species of marine bacteria that reproduces through a unique budding process discovered by researchers

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown species of marine bacteria that reproduces through a distinctive budding process and releases viruses to aid in nitrogen metabolism. This discovery was made by a Chinese research team, who cultivated the bacteria in a lab using silt from a cold seep and sediment from the deep ocean floor.

The study, titled “Physiological and metabolic insights into the first cultured anaerobic representative of deep-sea Planctomycetes bacteria,” has been published in the journal eLife. According to the researchers, they successfully cultured a unique strain of Planctomycetes (known as strain ZRK32) by employing an enriched medium supplemented with rifampicin and various nitrogen sources.

Genomic, physiological, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain ZRK32 represents a novel species, proposed to be named Poriferisphaera heterotrophicis. This bacterium belongs to a phylum that has received limited attention, despite its widespread presence in lakes and soils worldwide, where it plays a crucial role in carbon and nitrogen recycling.

Microbiologist and lead author Rikuan Zheng from the Chinese Academy of Sciences explained that most Planctomycetes bacteria have historically been isolated using nutritionally deficient growth media. Therefore, the researchers aimed to determine whether a nutrient-rich medium would facilitate the cultivation and characterization of these poorly understood bacteria.

Until recently, research on Planctomycetes has predominantly focused on strains found in freshwater and shallow ocean environments due to the logistical challenges associated with sampling and cultivating deep-sea strains. Rikuan emphasized the significance of using a nutrient-rich medium to culture and characterize these enigmatic bacteria.

The researchers believe that their findings expand the knowledge of deep-sea Planctomycetes bacteria and underscore their ability to metabolize nitrogen when influenced by chronic viruses. This discovery sheds light on a previously overlooked aspect of marine microbiology, offering new insights into bacterial diversity and ecological roles in the deep sea.