" Uabimicrobium helgolandensis"-a planctomycetal bacterium with phagocytosis-like prey cell engulfment, surface-dependent motility, and cell division.

The unique cell biology presented by members of the phylum has puzzled researchers ever since their discovery. Initially thought to have eukaryotic-like features, their traits are now recognized as exceptional but distinctly bacterial. However, recently discovered strains again added novel and stunning aspects to the planctomycetal cell biology-shapeshifting by members of the "" clade to an extent that is unprecedented in any other bacterial phylum, and phagocytosis-like cell engulfment in the bacterium " Uabimicrobium amorphum.

An untargeted cultivation approach revealed Pseudogemmatithrix spongiicola gen. nov., sp. nov., and sheds light on the gemmatimonadotal mode of cell division: binary fission.

Members of the phylum Gemmatimonadota can account for up to 10% of the phylogenetic diversity in bacterial communities. However, a detailed investigation of their cell biology and ecological roles is restricted by currently only six characterized species. By combining low-nutrient media, empirically determined inoculation volumes and long incubation times in a 96-well plate cultivation platform, we isolated two strains from a limnic sponge that belong to this under-studied phylum.

Planctoellipticum variicoloris gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the family Planctomycetaceae isolated from wastewater of the aeration lagoon of a sugar processing plant in Northern Germany.

In the present study, we characterise a strain isolated from the wastewater aeration lagoon of a sugar processing plant in Schleswig (Northern Germany) by Heinz Schlesner. As a pioneer in planctomycetal research, he isolated numerous strains belonging to the phylum Planctomycetota from aquatic habitats around the world. Phylogenetic analyses show that strain SH412 belongs to the family Planctomycetaceae and shares with 91.