GdbMTB: A Curated Genomic Database of Magnetotactic Bacteria

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are microorganisms that navigate Earth's geomagnetic field by biomineralizing intracellular, membrane-bound nanocrystals of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and/or greigite (Fe₃S₄), known as magnetosomes. These bacteria are important models for studying magnetoreception and biomineralization, with broad implications for astrobiology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, sedimentary magnetism, and biomedical applications. Although, MTB have been identified across at least 16 bacterial phyla, their study has been hampered by challenges in cultivation. Genome-resolved metagenomics has thus become essential for elucidating their metabolic diversity, ecological adaptations, and evolutionary history. Despite the rapid accumulation of MTB genomes, these data are scattered across different databases, often with inconsistent quality assessments and incomplete metadata, which hinder comprehensive comparative and interdisciplinary analyses.

To address this, we developed the Genomic Database of Magnetotactic Bacteria (GdbMTB, https://www.gdbmtb.cn/), a curated genomic resource dedicated to MTB research. GdbMTB integrates publicly available MTB genomes and associated metadata, and applies a standardized bioinformatics workflow to provide uniform quality assessment, taxonomic classification, and annotations of magnetosome-related genes. Each genome is accompanied by environmental and publication metadata, offering context and traceability to original studies. With an interactive, user-friendly interface and direct links to external genomic databases, GdbMTB facilitates intuitive data exploration and cross-database navigation.

By consolidating high-quality MTB genomic resources with comprehensive metadata, GdbMTB establishes a foundation for large-scale, interdisciplinary studies on the ecology, evolution, and environmental significance of magnetotactic bacteria.