Beijing, China

A new species of marine bacteria that reproduces through a unique budding process and releases viruses to facilitate nitrogen metabolism has been discovered by researchers. A team in China used silt from a cold seep, a particular puddle of nutrient-rich liquid, and dirt from the deep ocean floor to grow the bacteria in a lab. 

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The research titled — "Physiological and metabolic insights into the first cultured anaerobic representative of deep-sea Planctomycetes bacteria" — has been published in eLife. 

It said that researchers have successfully cultured a novel strain of Planctomycetes (strain ZRK32) by using an enriched medium supplemented with rifampicin and different sources of nitrogen. 

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The research team said that genomic, physiological, and phylogenetic analysis indicate that strain ZRK32 is a novel species, which we propose to be named: Poriferisphaera heterotrophicis. It is a member of a phylum of bacteria that has not received much attention, despite the fact that it can be found in lakes and soils all over the world and is essential for the recycling of carbon and nitrogen. 

As quoted by media outlets, microbiologist and lead author Rikuan Zheng from the Chinese Academy of Sciences says, "Most Planctomycetes bacteria have been isolated using growth media that are nutritionally poor." 

"So we wanted to see if using a nutrient-rich medium would make it possible to culture and further characterize members of this poorly understood family," Rikuan added. 

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Rikuan said that until recently, most research on the Planctomycetes family of bacteria has focused on strains in freshwater and shallow ocean environments, because of the "logistical difficulties associated with sampling and cultivating deep-sea strains". 

"Most Planctomycetes bacteria have been isolated using growth media that are nutritionally poor, so we wanted to see if using a nutrient-rich medium would make it possible to culture and further characterise members of this poorly understood family," said Rikuan, who is a research associate at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, and the National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China. 

The researchers said that the findings have expanded the understanding of deep-sea Planctomycetes bacteria, and also highlighted the ability to metabolise nitrogen when reprogrammed by chronic viruses. 

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