DSMZ finds first cultivated phototrophic myxobacterium in cyanobacterial community

By AI, Created 5:28 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ say they mapped the microbiome of marine cyanobacteria and found a newly discovered myxobacterium that can perform photosynthesis. The finding points to far more hidden biodiversity in cyanobacterial communities and could open new paths for studying microbial metabolism and novel species.

Why it matters: - The cyanobacterial microbiome appears to contain far more undiscovered diversity than previously documented. - The discovery of a phototrophic myxobacterium could change what scientists know about how these bacteria get energy. - The work may help researchers identify new species, new metabolites and new microbial functions in marine ecosystems.

What happened: - Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ in Braunschweig, Germany, analyzed the so-called cyanosphere, the bacterial community that lives with cyanobacteria. - The team studied more than 30 cultures of the filamentous marine cyanobacterium Coleofasciculus. - The researchers published the findings in Environmental Microbiology Reports and ISME Communications. - The study identified a newly discovered myxobacterium, Candidatus Photomyxococcus marinus gen. nov., sp. nov.

The details: - High-throughput sequencing of the complete 16S rRNA gene plus the adjacent ITS region, followed by metagenomics, was used to profile the community. - One Coleofasciculus sp. WW12 culture contained more than 70 associated bacterial taxa. - Genome data suggest most of those bacteria have not yet been scientifically described. - The researchers suspect the community includes more than 60 new species. - The first representatives of those suspected new species have already been cultivated. - The newly identified myxobacterium has the complete set of genes needed for photosynthesis. - This is described as the world’s first cultivated phototrophic myxobacterium. - Myxobacteria are known for producing metabolites with medical and biotechnological value. - Myxobacteria also hunt and feed on other microorganisms. - The DSMZ is making the Coleofasciculus microbiome available to researchers worldwide as a consortium. - Some members of the community have already been isolated and are available as pure cultures at the DSMZ collection catalogue.

Between the lines: - The finding suggests that cyanobacterial cultures are not just single organisms but preserved ecosystems with many hidden partners. - The research also shows that culture collections can function as long-term archives of microbial diversity. - The mix of hunting behavior and photosynthesis in one organism raises a basic question about why the bacterium evolved a second energy strategy.

What’s next: - The DSMZ team plans to study why the myxobacterium developed photosynthesis in addition to predation. - Researchers will try to grow the myxobacterium in pure culture to support future experiments. - Further work will focus on isolating and describing the remaining unknown bacteria in the cyanobacterial community.

The bottom line: - A marine cyanobacterial community has yielded a rare bacterial find: a cultivated myxobacterium that can photosynthesize, alongside dozens of likely new species.