The bacterium Gemmatimonas phototrophica AP64 isolated from a freshwater lake in the western Gobi Desert represents the first phototrophic member of the bacterial phylum Gemmatimonadota. This strain was originally cultured on agar plates because it did not grow in liquid medium. In contrast, the closely related species G. groenlandica TET16 grows both on solid and in liquid media. Here, we show that the growth of G. phototrophica in liquid medium can be induced by supplementing the medium with 20 mg CaCl2 L-1. When grown at a lower concentration of calcium (2 mg CaCl2 L-1) in the liquid medium, the growth was significantly delayed, cells were elongated and lacked flagella. The elevated requirement for calcium is relatively specific as it can be partially substituted by strontium, but not by magnesium. The transcriptome analysis documented that several groups of genes involved in flagella biosynthesis and transport of transition metals were co-activated after amendment of 20 mg CaCl2 L-1 to the medium. The presented results document that G. phototrophica requires a higher concentration of calcium for its metabolism and growth compared to other Gemmatimonas species.

Department of Experimental Plant Biology Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branišovská 1760 31a 37005 České Budějovice Czech Republic

Department of Plant Biophysics and Biochemistry Institute of Plant Molecular Biology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Branišovská 1760 31 37005 České Budějovice Czech Republic

Laboratory of Anoxygenic Phototrophs Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Novohradská 237 37981 Třeboň Czech Republic

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