Named in honour of Lisbon, the city where it was discovered, E. lisbonensis represents a new species within the Endozoicomonas genus —a well-known symbiont of corals. These bacteria are often difficult to maintain in the laboratory, making this isolation even more exciting!
This Gram-negative, motile, facultatively anaerobic bacterium can reduce nitrates to nitrites and degrade complex carbohydrates like cellulose and chitin, potentially aiding coral nutrition. However, its precise role in coral symbiosis remains an open question and calls for further research!
This study stems from a collaboration between students and researchers at Instituto Superior Técnico — Daniela Silva, Matilde Marques, Joana Couceiro, Rodrigo Costa and Tina Keller-Costa —alongside curator Núria Baylina and head aquarist Elsa Santos from Oceanário de Lisboa.
The new species is now part of Técnico’s culture collection MicroEcoEvoCC (integrated into the Portuguese Blue Biobank), as well as UCCCB (University of Coimbra Bacteria Culture Collection) and DSMZ (Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen).
Read the full story in the media: https://tecnico.ulisboa.pt/en/news/tecnico-researchers-discover-a-novel-bacterium-inhabiting-corals-at-oceanario-de-lisboa/
Read the full study: https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.006696