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Engineering High-Yield Biopolymer Secretion Creates an Extracellular Protein Matrix for Living Materials. mSystems 2021; 6:6/2/e00903-20. [PMID: 33758029 PMCID: PMC8546985 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00903-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial extracellular matrix forms autonomously, giving rise to complex material properties and multicellular behaviors. Synthetic matrix analogues can replicate these functions but require exogenously added material or have limited programmability. Here, we design a two-strain bacterial system that self-synthesizes and structures a synthetic extracellular matrix of proteins. We engineered Caulobacter crescentus to secrete an extracellular matrix protein composed of an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) hydrogel fused to supercharged SpyCatcher [SC(-)]. This biopolymer was secreted at levels of 60 mg/liter, an unprecedented level of biomaterial secretion by a native type I secretion apparatus. The ELP domain was swapped with either a cross-linkable variant of ELP or a resilin-like polypeptide, demonstrating this system is flexible. The SC(-)-ELP matrix protein bound specifically and covalently to the cell surface of a C. crescentus strain that displays a high-density array of SpyTag (ST) peptides via its engineered surface layer. Our work develops protein design guidelines for type I secretion in C. crescentus and demonstrates the autonomous secretion and assembly of programmable extracellular protein matrices, offering a path forward toward the formation of cohesive engineered living materials.IMPORTANCE Engineered living materials (ELM) aim to mimic characteristics of natural occurring systems, bringing the benefits of self-healing, synthesis, autonomous assembly, and responsiveness to traditional materials. Previous research has shown the potential of replicating the bacterial extracellular matrix (ECM) to mimic biofilms. However, these efforts require energy-intensive processing or have limited tunability. We propose a bacterially synthesized system that manipulates the protein content of the ECM, allowing for programmable interactions and autonomous material formation. To achieve this, we engineered a two-strain system to secrete a synthetic extracellular protein matrix (sEPM). This work is a step toward understanding the necessary parameters to engineering living cells to autonomously construct ELMs.
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Bhatt P, Bhatt K, Sharma A, Zhang W, Mishra S, Chen S. Biotechnological basis of microbial consortia for the removal of pesticides from the environment. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2021; 41:317-338. [PMID: 33730938 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2020.1853032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The application of microbial strains as axenic cultures has frequently been employed in a diverse range of sectors. In the natural environment, microbes exist as multispecies and perform better than monocultures. Cell signaling and communication pathways play a key role in engineering microbial consortia, because in a consortium, the microorganisms communicate via diffusible signal molecules. Mixed microbial cultures have gained little attention due to the lack of proper knowledge about their interactions with each other. Some ideas have been proposed to deal with and study various microbes when they live together as a community, for biotechnological application purposes. In natural environments, microbes can possess unique metabolic features. Therefore, microbial consortia divide the metabolic burden among strains in the group and robustly perform pesticide degradation. Synthetic microbial consortia can perform the desired functions at naturally contaminated sites. Therefore, in this article, special attention is paid to the microbial consortia and their function in the natural environment. This review comprehensively discusses the recent applications of microbial consortia in pesticide degradation and environmental bioremediation. Moreover, the future directions of synthetic consortia have been explored. The review also explores the future perspectives and new platforms for these approaches, besides highlighting the practical understanding of the scientific information behind consortia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Bhatt
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kalpana Bhatt
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukula Kangri University, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Anita Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Wenping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sandhya Mishra
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaohua Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
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Liu CH, Siew W, Hung YT, Jiang YT, Huang CH. 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) Deaminase Gene in Pseudomonas azotoformans Is Associated with the Amelioration of Salinity Stress in Tomato. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:913-921. [PMID: 33464897 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c05628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Although bacteria with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity have been used to mitigate biotic and abiotic stresses in crops, it is not well known whether the ACC deaminase gene (acdS) in Pseudomonas azotoformans is related to the alleviation of salt stress by the bacterium. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of acdS in P. azotoformans strain CHB 1107 on the nutrient uptake and growth of tomato plants under salt stress. The acdS mutant (CHB 1107 M) of P. azotoformans CHB 1107 was obtained through bacterial conjugation. Wild-type (CHB 1107 WT) and CHB 1107 M were used to inoculate tomato plants grown in a soil or solution with an electrical conductivity of 6 dS/m adjusted by NaCl. CHB 1107 M completely lost the ability to produce ACC deaminase, whereas the complementation of acdS in CHB 1107 M preserved its ACC deaminase activity. CHB 1107 WT significantly reduced the production of ethylene and proline by tomato plants under salt stress, increasing the shoot and root dry weights of tomato plants compared with the noninoculated control and CHB 1107 M. In addition, tomato plants inoculated with CHB 1107 M showed a significant reduction in K (27.5%), Ca (23.0%), and Mn uptake (17.5%) compared with those inoculated with CHB 1107 WT. In contrast, CHB 1107 WT significantly reduced Na uptake by tomato plants in comparison to CHB 1107 M in saline soil conditions. In addition, the inoculation of tomato plants with CHB 1107 WT resulted in a higher K/Na ratio than in those inoculated with CHB 1107 M and the noninoculated control. These findings suggest that acdS in P. azotoformans is associated with the amelioration of salinity stress in tomato. Plant transformation with acdS and the field application of P. azotoformans may be used as potential management tools for crops under salt stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Huan Liu
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Wanyi Siew
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ting Hung
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ti Jiang
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hua Huang
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture (IDCSA), National Chung Hsing University, 145 Xingda Road, South District, Taichung City 402, Taiwan
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Huang X, Li P, Zhou M, Li Y, Ou X, Chen P, Guggenberger G, Liu BF. A high-throughput ultrasonic spraying inoculation method promotes colony cultivation of rare microbial species. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:1275-1285. [PMID: 33400374 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Current method for obtaining microbial colonies still relies on traditional dilution and spreading plate (DSP) procedures, which is labor-intensive, skill-dependent, low-throughput and inevitably causing dilution-to-extinction of rare microorganisms. Herein, we proposed a novel ultrasonic spraying inoculation (USI) method that disperses microbial suspensions into millions of aerosols containing single cells, which lately be deposited freely on a gel plate to achieve high-throughput culturing of colonies. Compared with DSP, USI significantly increased both distributing uniformity and throughput of the colonies on agar plates, improving the minimal colony-forming abundance of rare Escherichia coli mixed in a lake sample from 1% to 0.01%. Applying this novel USI to a lake sample, 16 cellulose-degrading colonies were screened out among 4766 colonies on an enlarged 150-mm-diameter LB plate. Meanwhile, they could only be occasionally observed when using commonly used DSP procedures. 16S rRNA sequencing further showed that USI increased colony-forming species from 11 (by DSP) to 23, including seven completely undetectable microorganisms in DSP-reared communities. In addition to avoidance of dilution-to-extinction, operation-friendly USI efficiently inoculated microbial samples on the agar plate in a high-throughput and single-cell form, which eliminated masking or out-competition from other species in associated groups, thereby improving rare species cultivability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xizhi Huang
- Britton Chance Centre for Biomedical Photonics at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Pengjie Li
- Britton Chance Centre for Biomedical Photonics at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengfan Zhou
- Britton Chance Centre for Biomedical Photonics at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yiwei Li
- Britton Chance Centre for Biomedical Photonics at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaowen Ou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Purification and Application of Plant Anti-Cancer Active Ingredients, Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Hubei University of Education, No. 129, Gaoxin 2nd Road, East Lake High-Tech Zone, Wuhan, 430205, China
| | - Peng Chen
- Britton Chance Centre for Biomedical Photonics at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Georg Guggenberger
- Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, 30419, Germany
| | - Bi-Feng Liu
- Britton Chance Centre for Biomedical Photonics at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Systems Biology Theme, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Liu H, Cao Y, Guo J, Xu X, Long Q, Song L, Xian M. Study on the isoprene-producing co-culture system of Synechococcus elongates-Escherichia coli through omics analysis. Microb Cell Fact 2021; 20:6. [PMID: 33413404 PMCID: PMC7791884 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-020-01498-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of microbial fermentations are currently performed in the batch or fed-batch manner with the high process complexity and huge water consumption. The continuous microbial production can contribute to the green sustainable development of the fermentation industry. The co-culture systems of photo-autotrophic and heterotrophic species can play important roles in establishing the continuous fermentation mode for the bio-based chemicals production. RESULTS In the present paper, the co-culture system of Synechococcus elongates-Escherichia coli was established and put into operation stably for isoprene production. Compared with the axenic culture, the fermentation period of time was extended from 100 to 400 h in the co-culture and the isoprene production was increased to eightfold. For in depth understanding this novel system, the differential omics profiles were analyzed. The responses of BL21(DE3) to S. elongatus PCC 7942 were triggered by the oxidative pressure through the Fenton reaction and all these changes were linked with one another at different spatial and temporal scales. The oxidative stress mitigation pathways might contribute to the long-lasting fermentation process. The performance of this co-culture system can be further improved according to the fundamental rules discovered by the omics analysis. CONCLUSIONS The isoprene-producing co-culture system of S. elongates-E. coli was established and then analyzed by the omics methods. This study on the co-culture system of the model S. elongates-E. coli is of significance to reveal the common interactions between photo-autotrophic and heterotrophic species without natural symbiotic relation, which could provide the scientific basis for rational design of microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Yujin Cao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Jing Guo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Xin Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Qi Long
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Lili Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Mo Xian
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China.
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56
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Noonan AJC, Qiu Y, Ho JCH, Ocampo J, Vreugdenhil KA, Marr RA, Zhao Z, Yoshikuni Y, Hallam SJ. CRAGE-mediated insertion of fluorescent chromosomal markers for accurate and scalable measurement of co-culture dynamics in Escherichia coli. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2021; 5:ysaa015. [PMID: 33381654 PMCID: PMC7751189 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysaa015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring population dynamics in co-culture is necessary in engineering microbial consortia involved in distributed metabolic processes or biosensing applications. However, it remains difficult to measure strain-specific growth dynamics in high-throughput formats. This is especially vexing in plate-based functional screens leveraging whole-cell biosensors to detect specific metabolic signals. Here, we develop an experimental high-throughput co-culture system to measure and model the relationship between fluorescence and cell abundance, combining chassis-independent recombinase-assisted genome engineering (CRAGE) and whole-cell biosensing with a PemrR-green fluorescent protein (GFP) monoaromatic reporter used in plate-based functional screening. CRAGE was used to construct Escherichia coli EPI300 strains constitutively expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) and the relationship between RFP expression and optical density (OD600) was determined throughout the EPI300 growth cycle. A linear equation describing the increase of normalized RFP fluorescence during deceleration phase was derived and used to predict biosensor strain dynamics in co-culture. Measured and predicted values were compared using flow cytometric detection methods. Induction of the biosensor lead to increased GFP fluorescence normalized to biosensor cell abundance, as expected, but a significant decrease in relative abundance of the biosensor strain in co-culture and a decrease in bulk GFP fluorescence. Taken together, these results highlight sensitivity of population dynamics to variations in metabolic activity in co-culture and the potential effect of these dynamics on the performance of functional screens in plate-based formats. The engineered strains and model used to evaluate these dynamics provide a framework for optimizing growth of synthetic co-cultures used in screening, testing and pathway engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery J C Noonan
- Genome Science and Technology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Yilin Qiu
- Genome Science and Technology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Joe C H Ho
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jewel Ocampo
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - K A Vreugdenhil
- Genome Science and Technology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - R Alexander Marr
- Genome Science and Technology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Zhiying Zhao
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yasuo Yoshikuni
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Steven J Hallam
- Genome Science and Technology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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57
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Increasing biohydrogen production with the use of a co-culture inside a microbial electrolysis cell. Biochem Eng J 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2020.107802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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58
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Jeong SH, Park JB, Wang Y, Kim GH, Zhang G, Wei G, Wang C, Kim SW. Regulatory molecule cAMP changes cell fitness of the engineered Escherichia coli for terpenoids production. Metab Eng 2020; 65:178-184. [PMID: 33246165 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Terpenoids are a class of natural compounds with many important functions and applications. They are synthesized from a long synthetic pathway of isoprenyl unit coupling with the myriads of terpene synthases. Owing to the catalytic divergence of terpenoids synthesis, microbial production of terpenoids is compromised to the complexity of pathway engineering and suffers from the metabolic engineering burden. In this work, the adaptive Escherichia coli HP variant exhibited a general cell fitness in terpenoid synthesis. Especially, it could yield taxadiene of 193.2 mg/L in a test tube culture, which is a five-fold increase over the production in the wild type E. coli DH5α. Mutational analyses indicated that IS10 insertion in adenylate cyclase CyaA (CyaAHP) resulted in lowering intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP), which could regulate its receptor protein CRP to rewire cell metabolism and contributed to the improved cell fitness. Our results suggested a way to manipulate cell fitness for terpenoids production and other products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Hee Jeong
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Bin Park
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
| | - Yan Wang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Gye-Hwan Kim
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
| | - Gaochuan Zhang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Gongyuan Wei
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Chonglong Wang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China.
| | - Seon-Won Kim
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea.
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Canon F, Mariadassou M, Maillard MB, Falentin H, Parayre S, Madec MN, Valence F, Henry G, Laroute V, Daveran-Mingot ML, Cocaign-Bousquet M, Thierry A, Gagnaire V. Function-Driven Design of Lactic Acid Bacteria Co-cultures to Produce New Fermented Food Associating Milk and Lupin. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:584163. [PMID: 33329449 PMCID: PMC7717992 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.584163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Designing bacterial co-cultures adapted to ferment mixes of vegetal and animal resources for food diversification and sustainability is becoming a challenge. Among bacteria used in food fermentation, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are good candidates, as they are used as starter or adjunct in numerous fermented foods, where they allow preservation, enhanced digestibility, and improved flavor. We developed here a strategy to design LAB co-cultures able to ferment a new food made of bovine milk and lupin flour, consisting in: (i) in silico preselection of LAB species for targeted carbohydrate degradation; (ii) in vitro screening of 97 strains of the selected species for their ability to ferment carbohydrates and hydrolyze proteins from milk and lupin and clustering strains that displayed similar phenotypes; and (iii) assembling strains randomly sampled from clusters that showed complementary phenotypes. The designed co-cultures successfully expressed the targeted traits i.e., hydrolyzed proteins and degraded raffinose family oligosaccharides of lupin and lactose of milk in a large range of concentrations. They also reduced an off-flavor-generating volatile, hexanal, and produced various desirable flavor compounds. Most of the strains in co-cultures achieved higher cell counts than in monoculture, suggesting positive interactions. This work opens new avenues for the development of innovative fermented food products based on functionally complementary strains in the world-wide context of diet diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Valérie Laroute
- Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INRAE, INSA, TBI, Toulouse, France
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Ortseifen V, Viefhues M, Wobbe L, Grünberger A. Microfluidics for Biotechnology: Bridging Gaps to Foster Microfluidic Applications. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:589074. [PMID: 33282849 PMCID: PMC7691494 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.589074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidics and novel lab-on-a-chip applications have the potential to boost biotechnological research in ways that are not possible using traditional methods. Although microfluidic tools were increasingly used for different applications within biotechnology in recent years, a systematic and routine use in academic and industrial labs is still not established. For many years, absent innovative, ground-breaking and “out-of-the-box” applications have been made responsible for the missing drive to integrate microfluidic technologies into fundamental and applied biotechnological research. In this review, we highlight microfluidics’ offers and compare them to the most important demands of the biotechnologists. Furthermore, a detailed analysis in the state-of-the-art use of microfluidics within biotechnology was conducted exemplarily for four emerging biotechnological fields that can substantially benefit from the application of microfluidic systems, namely the phenotypic screening of cells, the analysis of microbial population heterogeneity, organ-on-a-chip approaches and the characterisation of synthetic co-cultures. The analysis resulted in a discussion of potential “gaps” that can be responsible for the rare integration of microfluidics into biotechnological studies. Our analysis revealed six major gaps, concerning the lack of interdisciplinary communication, mutual knowledge and motivation, methodological compatibility, technological readiness and missing commercialisation, which need to be bridged in the future. We conclude that connecting microfluidics and biotechnology is not an impossible challenge and made seven suggestions to bridge the gaps between those disciplines. This lays the foundation for routine integration of microfluidic systems into biotechnology research procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Ortseifen
- Proteome and Metabolome Research, Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology/CeBiTec, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Martina Viefhues
- Experimental Biophysics and Applied Nanosciences, Faculty of Physics, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Lutz Wobbe
- Algae Biotechnology and Bioenergy Group, Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology/CeBiTec, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Alexander Grünberger
- Multiscale Bioengineering, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Martínez-García E, Fraile S, Rodríguez Espeso D, Vecchietti D, Bertoni G, de Lorenzo V. Naked Bacterium: Emerging Properties of a Surfome-Streamlined Pseudomonas putida Strain. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:2477-2492. [PMID: 32786355 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Environmental bacteria are most often endowed with native surface-attachment programs that frequently conflict with efforts to engineer biofilms and synthetic communities with given tridimensional architectures. In this work, we report the editing of the genome of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 for stripping the cells of most outer-facing structures of the bacterial envelope that mediate motion, binding to surfaces, and biofilm formation. To this end, 23 segments of the P. putida chromosome encoding a suite of such functions were deleted, resulting in the surface-naked strain EM371, the physical properties of which changed dramatically in respect to the wild type counterpart. As a consequence, surface-edited P. putida cells were unable to form biofilms on solid supports and, because of the swimming deficiency and other alterations, showed a much faster sedimentation in liquid media. Surface-naked bacteria were then used as carriers of interacting partners (e.g., Jun-Fos domains) ectopically expressed by means of an autotransporter display system on the now easily accessible cell envelope. Abstraction of individual bacteria as adhesin-coated spherocylinders enabled rigorous quantitative description of the multicell interplay brought about by thereby engineered physical interactions. The model was then applied to parametrize the data extracted from automated analysis of confocal microscopy images of the experimentally assembled bacterial flocks for analyzing their structure and distribution. The resulting data not only corroborated the value of P. putida EM371 over the parental strain as a platform for display artificial adhesins but also provided a strategy for rational engineering of catalytic communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Martínez-García
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sofía Fraile
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - David Rodríguez Espeso
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Davide Vecchietti
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bertoni
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Lindemann SR. A piece of the pie: engineering microbiomes by exploiting division of labor in complex polysaccharide consumption. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2020; 30:96-102. [PMID: 32968619 DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Although microbes competing for simple substrates are well-known to obey the ecological competitive exclusion principle, little is known regarding how complex substrates influence the ecology of microbial communities. The vast structural diversity of polysaccharides makes them ideal substrates for cooperative microbial degradation. Potential mechanisms for division of metabolic labor in microbial communities consuming polysaccharides are 1) complementary differences in gene content, 2) alternate regulation of polysaccharide degradation genes, 3) subtle differences in hydrolytic enzyme functionality, and 4) specialization in transport and consumption of hydrolysis products. Engineering division of labor in polysaccharide degradation using these mechanisms as control points may improve our ability to engineer microbiomes for improved productivity and stability in diverse environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Lindemann
- Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA.,Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
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63
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Lee KA, Shaw HM, Bataille V, Nathan P, Spector TD. Role of the gut microbiome for cancer patients receiving immunotherapy: Dietary and treatment implications. Eur J Cancer 2020; 138:149-155. [PMID: 32889369 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionised the therapeutic landscape for multiple malignancies and the health of the gut microbiome (GM) is strongly linked with therapeutic responses to ICI. This review explores the implications of diet and medication on the GM for patients receiving ICI. Clinical trials are underway to explore the impact of factors such as faecal microbiota transfer, probiotics, prebiotics, bacteria consortia and a number of dietary interventions on patients receiving ICI. Randomised controlled trials are lacking, and inferences are currently based on short-term clinical and observational studies. Antibiotics should be avoided before ICI initiation, and depending on prospective data, future consideration may be given to temporary delay of initiation of non-urgent ICI if patient has had broad spectrum antibiotics within 1 month of planned treatment initiation. Proton pump inhibitor use should be discontinued when not clearly indicated and potential switch to a histamine H2-receptor antagonist considered. Patients should be advised to minimise animal meat intake and maximise plants, aiming to consume ≥30 plant types weekly. A high fibre intake (>30 g/day) has been seen to be beneficial in increasing the chance of ICI response. Fermented foods may have a beneficial effect on the GM and should be introduced where possible. Ideally, all patients should be referred to a nutritionist or dietician with knowledge of GM before commencing ICI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla A Lee
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Medical Oncology, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, UK; Department of Medical Oncology, The Royal Marsden, London, UK.
| | - Heather M Shaw
- Department of Medical Oncology, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, UK; Early Phase Trial Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, University College London Hospital, London, UK
| | - Veronique Bataille
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Dermatology, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, UK
| | - Paul Nathan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, UK
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
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64
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Zachar I, Boza G. Endosymbiosis before eukaryotes: mitochondrial establishment in protoeukaryotes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:3503-3523. [PMID: 32008087 PMCID: PMC7452879 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03462-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 12/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Endosymbiosis and organellogenesis are virtually unknown among prokaryotes. The single presumed example is the endosymbiogenetic origin of mitochondria, which is hidden behind the event horizon of the last eukaryotic common ancestor. While eukaryotes are monophyletic, it is unlikely that during billions of years, there were no other prokaryote-prokaryote endosymbioses as symbiosis is extremely common among prokaryotes, e.g., in biofilms. Therefore, it is even more precarious to draw conclusions about potentially existing (or once existing) prokaryotic endosymbioses based on a single example. It is yet unknown if the bacterial endosymbiont was captured by a prokaryote or by a (proto-)eukaryote, and if the process of internalization was parasitic infection, slow engulfment, or phagocytosis. In this review, we accordingly explore multiple mechanisms and processes that could drive the evolution of unicellular microbial symbioses with a special attention to prokaryote-prokaryote interactions and to the mitochondrion, possibly the single prokaryotic endosymbiosis that turned out to be a major evolutionary transition. We investigate the ecology and evolutionary stability of inter-species microbial interactions based on dependence, physical proximity, cost-benefit budget, and the types of benefits, investments, and controls. We identify challenges that had to be conquered for the mitochondrial host to establish a stable eukaryotic lineage. Any assumption about the initial interaction of the mitochondrial ancestor and its contemporary host based solely on their modern relationship is rather perilous. As a result, we warn against assuming an initial mutually beneficial interaction based on modern mitochondria-host cooperation. This assumption is twice fallacious: (i) endosymbioses are known to evolve from exploitative interactions and (ii) cooperativity does not necessarily lead to stable mutualism. We point out that the lack of evidence so far on the evolution of endosymbiosis from mutual syntrophy supports the idea that mitochondria emerged from an exploitative (parasitic or phagotrophic) interaction rather than from syntrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- István Zachar
- Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Klebelsberg Kunó str. 3., Tihany, 8237, Hungary.
- MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Plant Taxonomy and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
- Center for the Conceptual Foundations of Science, Parmenides Foundation, Kirchplatz 1, 82049, Munich, Germany.
| | - Gergely Boza
- Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Klebelsberg Kunó str. 3., Tihany, 8237, Hungary
- Evolution and Ecology Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, 2361, Laxenburg, Austria
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65
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Biohydrogen production beyond the Thauer limit by precision design of artificial microbial consortia. Commun Biol 2020; 3:443. [PMID: 32796915 PMCID: PMC7429504 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01159-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Dark fermentative biohydrogen (H2) production could become a key technology for providing renewable energy. Until now, the H2 yield is restricted to 4 moles of H2 per mole of glucose, referred to as the "Thauer limit". Here we show, that precision design of artificial microbial consortia increased the H2 yield to 5.6 mol mol-1 glucose, 40% higher than the Thauer limit. In addition, the volumetric H2 production rates of our defined artificial consortia are superior compared to any mono-, co- or multi-culture system reported to date. We hope this study to be a major leap forward in the engineering of artificial microbial consortia through precision design and provide a breakthrough in energy science, biotechnology and ecology. Constructing artificial consortia with this drawing-board approach could in future increase volumetric production rates and yields of other bioprocesses. Our artificial consortia engineering blueprint might pave the way for the development of a H2 production bioindustry.
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66
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Antoniewicz MR. A guide to deciphering microbial interactions and metabolic fluxes in microbiome communities. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 64:230-237. [PMID: 32711357 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2020.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Microbiomes occupy nearly all environments on Earth. These communities of interacting microorganisms are highly complex, dynamic biological systems that impact and reshape the molecular composition of their habitats by performing complex biochemical transformations. The structure and function of microbiomes are influenced by local environmental stimuli and spatiotemporal changes. In order to control the dynamics and ultimately the function of microbiomes, we need to develop a mechanistic and quantitative understanding of the ecological, molecular, and evolutionary driving forces that govern these systems. Here, we describe recent advances in developing computational and experimental approaches that can promote a more fundamental understanding of microbial communities through comprehensive model-based analysis of heterogeneous data types across multiple scales, from intracellular metabolism, to metabolite cross-feeding interactions, to the emergent macroscopic behaviors. Ultimately, harnessing the full potential of microbiomes for practical applications will require developing new predictive modeling approaches and better tools to manipulate microbiome interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciek R Antoniewicz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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67
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Horie F, Endo K, Ito K. Artificial Protein-Responsive Riboswitches Upregulate Non-AUG Translation Initiation in Yeast. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:1623-1631. [PMID: 32531157 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Artificial control of gene expression is one of the core technologies for engineering biological systems. Riboswitches are cis-acting elements on mRNA that regulate gene expression in a ligand-dependent manner often seen in prokaryotes, but rarely in eukaryotes. Because of the poor variety of such elements available in eukaryotic systems, the number of artificially engineered eukaryotic riboswitches, especially of the upregulation type, is still limited. Here, we developed a design principle for upregulation-type riboswitches that utilize non-AUG initiation induced by ribosomal stalling in a ligand-dependent manner in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our design principle simply required the proper positioning of a near-cognate start codon relative to the RNA aptamer. Intriguingly, the CUG codon was the most preferable for non-AUG ON switches in terms of output level and switch performance. This work establishes novel choices for artificial genetic control in eukaryotes with versatile potential for industrial and biomedical applications as well as basic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihiro Horie
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Kei Endo
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Koichi Ito
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
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68
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Nitschke MR, Fidalgo C, Simões J, Brandão C, Alves A, Serôdio J, Frommlet JC. Symbiolite formation: a powerful in vitro model to untangle the role of bacterial communities in the photosynthesis-induced formation of microbialites. THE ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:1533-1546. [PMID: 32203119 PMCID: PMC7242451 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0629-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Microbially induced calcification is an ancient, community-driven mineralisation process that produces different types of microbialites. Symbiolites are photosynthesis-induced microbialites, formed by calcifying co-cultures of dinoflagellates from the family Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria. Symbiolites encase the calcifying community as endolithic cells, pointing at an autoendolithic niche of symbiotic dinoflagellates, and provide a rare opportunity to study the role of bacteria in bacterial-algal calcification, as symbiodiniacean cultures display either distinct symbiolite-producing (SP) or non-symbiolite-producing (NP) phenotypes. Using Illumina sequencing, we found that the bacterial communities of SP and NP cultures differed significantly in the relative abundance of 23 genera, 14 families, and 2 phyla. SP cultures were rich in biofilm digesters from the phylum Planctomycetes and their predicted metagenomes were enriched in orthologs related to biofilm formation. In contrast, NP cultures were dominated by biofilm digesters from the Bacteroidetes, and were inferred as enriched in proteases and nucleases. Functional assays confirmed the potential of co-cultures and bacterial isolates to produce biofilms and point at acidic polysaccharides as key stimulators for mineral precipitation. Hence, bacteria appear to influence symbiolite formation primarily through their biofilm-producing and modifying activity and we anticipate that symbiolite formation, as a low-complexity in vitro model, will significantly advance our understanding of photosynthesis-induced microbial calcification processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Nitschke
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Cátia Fidalgo
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João Simões
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Cláudio Brandão
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Artur Alves
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João Serôdio
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Jörg C Frommlet
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
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69
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Oosthuizen JR, Naidoo RK, Rossouw D, Bauer FF. Evolution of mutualistic behaviour between Chlorella sorokiniana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae within a synthetic environment. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 47:357-372. [PMID: 32385605 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-020-02280-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Yeast and microalgae are microorganisms with widely diverging physiological and biotechnological properties. Accordingly, their fields of applications diverge: yeasts are primarily applied in processes related to fermentation, while microalgae are used for the production of high-value metabolites and green technologies such as carbon capture. Heterotrophic-autotrophic systems and synthetic ecology approaches have been proposed as tools to achieve stable combinations of such evolutionarily unrelated species. We describe an entirely novel synthetic ecology-based approach to evolve co-operative behaviour between winery wastewater isolates of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and microalga Chlorella sorokiniana. The data show that biomass production and mutualistic growth improved when co-evolved yeast and microalgae strains were paired together. Combinations of co-evolved strains displayed a range of phenotypes, including differences in amino acid profiles. Taken together, the results demonstrate that biotic selection pressures can lead to improved mutualistic growth phenotypes over relatively short time periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Oosthuizen
- Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - R K Naidoo
- Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - D Rossouw
- Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - F F Bauer
- Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
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70
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Qian X, Chen L, Sui Y, Chen C, Zhang W, Zhou J, Dong W, Jiang M, Xin F, Ochsenreither K. Biotechnological potential and applications of microbial consortia. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 40:107500. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.107500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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71
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Ben Said S, Tecon R, Borer B, Or D. The engineering of spatially linked microbial consortia - potential and perspectives. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 62:137-145. [PMID: 31678714 PMCID: PMC7208534 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Traditional biotechnological applications of microorganisms employ mono-cultivation or co-cultivation in well-mixed vessels disregarding the potential of spatially organized cultures. Metabolic specialization and guided species interactions facilitated through spatial isolation would enable consortia of microbes to accomplish more complex functions than currently possible, for bioproduction as well as biodegradation processes. Here, we review concepts of spatially linked microbial consortia in which spatial arrangement is optimized to increase control and facilitate new species combinations. We highlight that genome-scale metabolic network models can inform the design and tuning of synthetic microbial consortia and suggest that a standardized assembly of such systems allows the combination of 'incompatibles', potentially leading to countless novel applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami Ben Said
- Microbial Systems Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Robin Tecon
- Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Benedict Borer
- Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dani Or
- Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
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72
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Zaccaria M, Dawson W, Cristiglio V, Reverberi M, Ratcliff LE, Nakajima T, Genovese L, Momeni B. Designing a bioremediator: mechanistic models guide cellular and molecular specialization. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 62:98-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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73
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Di S, Yang A. Analysis of productivity and stability of synthetic microbial communities. J R Soc Interface 2020; 16:20180859. [PMID: 30958144 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioreactors that employ a synthetic microbial community hold potential to overcome limitations of those based on a single species, which embrace a higher level of complexity due to the inter-species interactions. In this work, a number of generic system structures involving two cross-feeding species and various types of inhibition have been studied, together with two three-species cases where a third species is introduced to fulfil a specific function. These cases are represented by mathematical models and inspected through bifurcation analysis and numerical simulation to reveal how the system structure and parametrization affect stability and productivity of the bioreactor. The results show that inhibitions generally lead to reduction in both productivity and stability, and that the presence of a negative feedback loop and a positive feedback loop may give rise to oscillation and bi-stability, respectively, depending on the strength of the inhibitions involved. The intended gains by the introduction of a third species may be achieved when its negative side-effect is sufficiently moderate, and at the cost of reduced stability. As observed in several cases, the changes in stability and productivity do not always follow the same trend, implying trade-off between the two objectives in the engineering of such bioreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihao Di
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford , Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ , UK
| | - Aidong Yang
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford , Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ , UK
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74
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LaBelle EV, Marshall CW, May HD. Microbiome for the Electrosynthesis of Chemicals from Carbon Dioxide. Acc Chem Res 2020; 53:62-71. [PMID: 31809012 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.9b00522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The price for renewable electricity is rapidly decreasing, and the availability of such energy is expected to increase in the coming years. This is a welcomed outcome considering that mitigation of climate disruption due to the use of fossil carbon is reaching a critical stage. However, the economy will remain dependent on carbon-based chemicals and the problem of electricity storage persists. Therefore, the development of electrosynthetic processes that convert electricity and CO2 into chemicals and energy dense fuels, perhaps even food, would be desirable. Electrochemistry has been applied to the manufacture of many valuable products and at a large industrial scale, but it is difficult to produce multicarbon chemicals from CO2 by chemistry alone. Being that the biological world possesses expertise at the construction of C-C bonds, it is being examined in conjunction with electrochemistry to discover new ways of synthesizing chemicals from electricity and CO2. One approach is microbial electrosynthesis. This Account describes the development of a microbial electrosynthesis system by the authors. A biocathode consisting of a carbon-based electrode and a microbial community produced short chain fatty acids, primarily acetate. The device works by electrolysis of water, but microbes facilitate electron transfer from the cathode while reducing CO2 by the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway possessed by an Acetobacterium sp. While this acetogenic microorganism dominates the microbiome growing on the cathode surface, 13 total species of microbes overall were ecologically selected on the cathode and genomes for each have been assembled. The combined species may contribute to the stability of the microbiome, a common feature of naturally selected microbial communities. The microbial electrosynthesis system was demonstrated to operate continuously at a cathode for more than 2 years and could also be used with intermittent power, thus demonstrating the stability of the microbiome living at the cathode. In addition to the description of reactor design and startup procedures, the possible mechanisms of electron transfer are described in this Account. While mysteries remain to be solved, much evidence indicates that the microbiome may facilitate electron transfer by supplying catalyst(s) external to the bacterial cells and onto the cathode surface. This may be in the form of a hydrogen-producing catalyst that enhances hydrogen generation by an inert carbon-based electrode. Through the enrichment of the electrosynthetic microbiome along with several modifications in reactor design and operation, the productivity and efficiency were improved. In addition to the intrinsic value of the current products, coupling the process with a secondary stage might be used to produce more valuable products from the acetic acid stream such as lipids, biocrude oil, or higher value food supplements. Alternatively, additional work on the mechanism of electron transfer, reactor design/operation, and modification of the microbes through synthetic biology, particularly to enhance carbon efficiency into higher value chemicals, are the needed next steps to advance microbial electrosynthesis so that it may be used to transform renewable electrons and CO2 directly into products and help solve the problem of climate disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward V. LaBelle
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Christopher W. Marshall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, United States
| | - Harold D. May
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29412, United States
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75
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Co-culture of Chlorella and wastewater-borne bacteria in vinegar production wastewater: Enhancement of nutrients removal and influence of algal biomass generation. ALGAL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2019.101744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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76
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de Luis B, Llopis-Lorente A, Rincón P, Gadea J, Sancenón F, Aznar E, Villalonga R, Murguía JR, Martínez-Máñez R. An Interactive Model of Communication between Abiotic Nanodevices and Microorganisms. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:14986-14990. [PMID: 31424153 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201908867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The construction of communication models at the micro-/nanoscale involving abiotic nanodevices and living organisms has the potential to open a wide range of applications in biomedical and communication technologies. However, this area remains almost unexplored. Herein, we report, as a proof of concept, a stimuli-responsive interactive paradigm of communication between yeasts (as a model microorganism) and enzyme-controlled Janus Au-mesoporous silica nanoparticles. In the presence of the stimulus, the information flows from the microorganism to the nanodevice, and then returns from the nanodevice to the microorganism as a feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz de Luis
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Antoni Llopis-Lorente
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Paola Rincón
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain
| | - José Gadea
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | - Félix Sancenón
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Elena Aznar
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Reynaldo Villalonga
- Nanosensors & Nanomachines Group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Ramón Murguía
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Ramón Martínez-Máñez
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), Spain.,Unidad Mixta UPV-CIPF de Investigación en Mecanismos de Enfermedades y Nanomedicina, Universitat Politècnica de València, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia, Spain.,Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Nanomedicina y Sensores, Universitat Politècnica de València, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
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Luis B, Llopis‐Lorente A, Rincón P, Gadea J, Sancenón F, Aznar E, Villalonga R, Murguía JR, Martínez‐Máñez R. An Interactive Model of Communication between Abiotic Nanodevices and Microorganisms. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201908867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Luis
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM) Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia Spain
- CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Antoni Llopis‐Lorente
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM) Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia Spain
- CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Paola Rincón
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM) Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia Spain
| | - José Gadea
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP) Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Valencia Spain
| | - Félix Sancenón
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM) Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia Spain
- CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Elena Aznar
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM) Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia Spain
- CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Reynaldo Villalonga
- Nanosensors & Nanomachines Group Department of Analytical Chemistry Faculty of Chemistry Complutense University of Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - José Ramón Murguía
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM) Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia Spain
- CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Ramón Martínez‐Máñez
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM) Universitat Politècnica de València Universitat de València Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia Spain
- CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN) Spain
- Unidad Mixta UPV-CIPF de Investigación en Mecanismos de Enfermedades y Nanomedicina Universitat Politècnica de València Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe Valencia Spain
- Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Nanomedicina y Sensores Universitat Politècnica de València Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe Valencia Spain
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78
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Stephens K, Pozo M, Tsao CY, Hauk P, Bentley WE. Bacterial co-culture with cell signaling translator and growth controller modules for autonomously regulated culture composition. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4129. [PMID: 31511505 PMCID: PMC6739400 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12027-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have expanded the possibilities for engineered cell-based systems. The addition of non-native biosynthetic and regulatory components can, however, overburden the reprogrammed cells. In order to avoid metabolic overload, an emerging area of focus is on engineering consortia, wherein cell subpopulations work together to carry out a desired function. This strategy requires regulation of the cell populations. Here, we design a synthetic co-culture controller consisting of cell-based signal translator and growth-controller modules that, when implemented, provide for autonomous regulation of the consortia composition. The system co-opts the orthogonal autoinducer AI-1 and AI-2 cell-cell signaling mechanisms of bacterial quorum sensing (QS) to enable cross-talk between strains and a QS signal-controlled growth rate controller to modulate relative population densities. We further develop a simple mathematical model that enables cell and system design for autonomous closed-loop control of population trajectories. To avoid metabolic overload and divide tasks, synthetic biologists are turning to microbial consortia engineering. Here the authors design a co-culture controller that autonomously regulates population composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Stephens
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.,Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Maria Pozo
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Chen-Yu Tsao
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.,Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Pricila Hauk
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.,Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - William E Bentley
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA. .,Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 8278 Paint Branch Drive, 5102 Clark Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
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79
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Liu F, Mao J, Lu T, Hua Q. Synthetic, Context-Dependent Microbial Consortium of Predator and Prey. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1713-1722. [PMID: 31382741 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic microbial consortia are a rapidly growing area of synthetic biology. So far, most consortia are designed without considering their environments; however, in nature, microbial interactions are constantly modulated by cellular contexts, which, in principle, can dramatically alter community behaviors. Here we present the construction, validation, and characterization of an engineered bacterial predator-prey consortium that involves a chloramphenicol (CM)-mediated, context-dependent cellular interaction. We show that varying the CM level in the environment can induce success in the ecosystem with distinct patterns from predator dominance to prey-predator crossover to ecosystem collapse. A mathematical model successfully captures the essential dynamics of the experimentally observed patterns. We also illustrate that such a dependence enriches community dynamics under different initial conditions and further test the resistance of the consortium to invasion with engineered bacterial strains. This work exemplifies the role of the context dependence of microbial interactions in modulating ecosystem dynamics, underscoring the importance of including contexts into the design of engineered ecosystems for synthetic biology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Junwen Mao
- Department of Physics, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Ting Lu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Qiang Hua
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
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80
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Ziesack M, Gibson T, Oliver JKW, Shumaker AM, Hsu BB, Riglar DT, Giessen TW, DiBenedetto NV, Bry L, Way JC, Silver PA, Gerber GK. Engineered Interspecies Amino Acid Cross-Feeding Increases Population Evenness in a Synthetic Bacterial Consortium. mSystems 2019; 4:e00352-19. [PMID: 31409662 PMCID: PMC6697442 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00352-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In nature, microbes interact antagonistically, neutrally, or beneficially. To shed light on the effects of positive interactions in microbial consortia, we introduced metabolic dependencies and metabolite overproduction into four bacterial species. While antagonistic interactions govern the wild-type consortium behavior, the genetic modifications alleviated antagonistic interactions and resulted in beneficial interactions. Engineered cross-feeding increased population evenness, a component of ecological diversity, in different environments, including in a more complex gnotobiotic mouse gut environment. Our findings suggest that metabolite cross-feeding could be used as a tool for intentionally shaping microbial consortia in complex environments.IMPORTANCE Microbial communities are ubiquitous in nature. Bacterial consortia live in and on our body and in our environment, and more recently, biotechnology is applying microbial consortia for bioproduction. As part of our body, bacterial consortia influence us in health and disease. Microbial consortium function is determined by its composition, which in turn is driven by the interactions between species. Further understanding of microbial interactions will help us in deciphering how consortia function in complex environments and may enable us to modify microbial consortia for health and environmental benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marika Ziesack
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Travis Gibson
- Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John K W Oliver
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew M Shumaker
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bryan B Hsu
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David T Riglar
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tobias W Giessen
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nicholas V DiBenedetto
- Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lynn Bry
- Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Way
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Pamela A Silver
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Georg K Gerber
- Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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81
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Engineering Synthetic Microbial Communities through a Selective Biofilm Cultivation Device for the Production of Fermented Beverages. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7070206. [PMID: 31330825 PMCID: PMC6680646 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7070206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Production of Cambodian rice wine involves complex microbial consortia. Indeed, previous studies focused on traditional microbial starters used for this product revealed that three microbial strains with complementary metabolic activities are required for an effective fermentation, i.e., filamentous fungi (Rhizopus oryzae), yeast (Saccharomycescerevisiae), and lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillusplantarum). Modulating the ratio between these three key players led to significant differences, not only in terms of ethanol and organic acid production, but also on the profile of volatile compounds, in comparison with natural communities. However, we observed that using an equal ratio of spores/cells of the three microbial strains during inoculation led to flavor profile and ethanol yield close to that obtained through the use of natural communities. Compartmentalization of metabolic tasks through the use of a biofilm cultivation device allows further improvement of the whole fermentation process, notably by increasing the amount of key components of the aroma profile of the fermented beverage (i.e., mainly phenylethyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, and 2-methyl-butanol) and reducing the amount of off-flavor compounds. This study is a step forward in our understanding of interkingdom microbial interactions with strong application potential in food biotechnology.
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82
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Synthetic microbial consortia for biosynthesis and biodegradation: promises and challenges. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 46:1343-1358. [PMID: 31278525 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-019-02211-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Functional differentiation and metabolite exchange enable microbial consortia to perform complex metabolic tasks and efficiently cycle the nutrients. Inspired by the cooperative relationships in environmental microbial consortia, synthetic microbial consortia have great promise for studying the microbial interactions in nature and more importantly for various engineering applications. However, challenges coexist with promises, and the potential of consortium-based technologies is far from being fully harnessed. Thorough understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of microbial interactions is greatly needed for the rational design and optimization of defined consortia. These knowledge gaps could be potentially filled with the assistance of the ongoing revolution in systems biology and synthetic biology tools. As current fundamental and technical obstacles down the road being removed, we would expect new avenues with synthetic microbial consortia playing important roles in biological and environmental engineering processes such as bioproduction of desired chemicals and fuels, as well as biodegradation of persistent contaminants.
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83
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Kehe J, Kulesa A, Ortiz A, Ackerman CM, Thakku SG, Sellers D, Kuehn S, Gore J, Friedman J, Blainey PC. Massively parallel screening of synthetic microbial communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:12804-12809. [PMID: 31186361 PMCID: PMC6600964 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900102116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial communities have numerous potential applications in biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine. Nevertheless, the limited accuracy with which we can predict interspecies interactions and environmental dependencies hinders efforts to rationally engineer beneficial consortia. Empirical screening is a complementary approach wherein synthetic communities are combinatorially constructed and assayed in high throughput. However, assembling many combinations of microbes is logistically complex and difficult to achieve on a timescale commensurate with microbial growth. Here, we introduce the kChip, a droplets-based platform that performs rapid, massively parallel, bottom-up construction and screening of synthetic microbial communities. We first show that the kChip enables phenotypic characterization of microbes across environmental conditions. Next, in a screen of ∼100,000 multispecies communities comprising up to 19 soil isolates, we identified sets that promote the growth of the model plant symbiont Herbaspirillum frisingense in a manner robust to carbon source variation and the presence of additional species. Broadly, kChip screening can identify multispecies consortia possessing any optically assayable function, including facilitation of biocontrol agents, suppression of pathogens, degradation of recalcitrant substrates, and robustness of these functions to perturbation, with many applications across basic and applied microbial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Kehe
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142
| | - Anthony Kulesa
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142
| | - Anthony Ortiz
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | | | - Sri Gowtham Thakku
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142
- Program in Health Sciences and Technology, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Daniel Sellers
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
| | - Seppe Kuehn
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Jeff Gore
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Jonathan Friedman
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel 76100
| | - Paul C Blainey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142
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84
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Flores AD, Ayla EZ, Nielsen DR, Wang X. Engineering a Synthetic, Catabolically Orthogonal Coculture System for Enhanced Conversion of Lignocellulose-Derived Sugars to Ethanol. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1089-1099. [PMID: 30979337 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Fermentation of lignocellulosic sugar mixtures is often suboptimal due to inefficient xylose catabolism and sequential sugar utilization caused by carbon catabolite repression. Unlike in conventional applications employing a single engineered strain, the alternative development of synthetic microbial communities facilitates the execution of complex metabolic tasks by exploiting the unique community features, including modularity, division of labor, and facile tunability. A series of synthetic, catabolically orthogonal coculture systems were systematically engineered, as derived from either wild-type Escherichia coli W or ethanologenic LY180. Net catabolic activities were effectively balanced by simple tuning of the inoculum ratio between specialist strains, which enabled coutilization (98% of 100 g L-1 total sugars) of glucose-xylose mixtures (2:1 by mass) for both culture systems in simple batch fermentations. The engineered ethanologenic cocultures achieved ethanol titer (46 g L-1), productivity (488 mg L-1 h-1), and yield (∼90% of theoretical maximum), which were all significantly increased compared to LY180 monocultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. Flores
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, ECG 301, 501 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - E. Zeynep Ayla
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, ECG 301, 501 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - David R. Nielsen
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, ECG 301, 501 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Xuan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
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85
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A Novel Bioelectronic Reporter System in Living Cells Tested with a Synthetic Biological Comparator. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7275. [PMID: 31086248 PMCID: PMC6513987 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43771-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
As the fields of biotechnology and synthetic biology expand, cheap and sensitive tools are needed to measure increasingly complicated genetic circuits. In order to bypass some drawbacks of optical fluorescent reporting systems, we have designed and created a co-culture microbial fuel cell (MFC) system for electronic reporting. This system leverages the syntrophic growth of Escheriachia. coli (E. coli) and an electrogenic bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (S. oneidensis). The fermentative products of E. coli provide a carbon and electron source for S. oneidensis MR-1, which then reports on such activity electrically at the anode of the MFC. To further test the capability of electrical reporting of complicated synthetic circuits, a novel synthetic biological comparator was designed and tested with both fluorescent and electrical reporting systems. The results suggest that the electrical reporting system is a good alternative to commonly used optical fluorescent reporter systems since it is a non-toxic reporting system with a much wider dynamic range.
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86
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García C, Rendueles M, Díaz M. Liquid-phase food fermentations with microbial consortia involving lactic acid bacteria: A review. Food Res Int 2019; 119:207-220. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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87
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Perera M, Wijayarathna D, Wijesundera S, Chinthaka M, Seneviratne G, Jayasena S. Biofilm mediated synergistic degradation of hexadecane by a naturally formed community comprising Aspergillus flavus complex and Bacillus cereus group. BMC Microbiol 2019; 19:84. [PMID: 31035915 PMCID: PMC6489202 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-019-1460-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The hydrophobic nature of hydrocarbons make them less bioavailable to microbes, generally leading to low efficiency in biodegradation. Current bioremediation strategies for hydrocarbon contamination, uses induced mixed microbial cultures. This in-vitro study demonstrates the utilization of naturally occurring communities in suitable habitats for achieving highly efficient, synergistic degradation of hydrocarbons in a simple community structure without additives. METHODS Enrichment media supplemented with 1% (7652.53 mg/L) hexadecane (HXD) as the sole carbon source were inoculated with samples of soil with waste polythene, collected from a municipal landfill in order to isolate microbial communities. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed on HXD grown co-cultures and individual counterparts after 14 days incubation and percentage degradation was calculated. Microbes were identified using 16S rRNA gene and Internal Transcribed Spacer region sequencing. Biofilm formation was confirmed through scanning electron microscopy, in the most efficient community. RESULTS Three mixed communities (C1, C2 and C3) that demonstrated efficient visual disintegration of the HXD layer in the static liquid cultures were isolated. The C1 community showed the highest activity, degrading > 99% HXD within 14 days. C1 comprised of a single fungus and a bacterium and they were identified as a Bacillus sp. MM1 and an Apsergillus sp. MM1. The co-culture and individual counterparts of the C1 community were assayed for HXD degradation by GC-MS. Degradation by the fungal and bacterial monocultures were 52.92 ± 8.81% and 9.62 ± 0.71% respectively, compared to 99.42 ± 0.38% by the co-culture in 14 days. This proved the synergistic behavior of the community. Further, this community demonstrated the formation of a biofilm in oil-water interface in the liquid medium. This was evidenced from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showing the Bacillus cells attached on to Aspergillus mycelia. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the utilization of naturally formed fungal-bacterial communities for enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbons such as hexadecane and reports for the first time, synergistic degradation of hexadecane through biofilm formation, by a community comprising of Bacillus cereus group and Aspergillus flavus complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madushika Perera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Sulochana Wijesundera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
| | - Manoj Chinthaka
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Gamini Seneviratne
- National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantana Road, Kandy, Sri Lanka
| | - Sharmila Jayasena
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
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88
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Gouveia JD, Lian J, Steinert G, Smidt H, Sipkema D, Wijffels RH, Barbosa MJ. Associated bacteria of Botryococcus braunii (Chlorophyta). PeerJ 2019; 7:e6610. [PMID: 30944776 PMCID: PMC6441321 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Botryococcus braunii (Chlorophyta) is a green microalga known for producing hydrocarbons and exopolysaccharides (EPS). Improving the biomass productivity of B. braunii and hence, the productivity of the hydrocarbons and of the EPS, will make B. braunii more attractive for industries. Microalgae usually cohabit with bacteria which leads to the formation of species-specific communities with environmental and biological advantages. Bacteria have been found and identified with a few B. braunii strains, but little is known about the bacterial community across the different strains. A better knowledge of the bacterial community of B. braunii will help to optimize the biomass productivity, hydrocarbons, and EPS accumulation. To better understand the bacterial community diversity of B. braunii, we screened 12 strains from culture collections. Using 16S rRNA gene analysis by MiSeq we described the bacterial diversity across 12 B. braunii strains and identified possible shared communities. We found three bacterial families common to all strains: Rhizobiaceae, Bradyrhizobiaceae, and Comamonadaceae. Additionally, the results also suggest that each strain has its own specific bacteria that may be the result of long-term isolated culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joao D. Gouveia
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jie Lian
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Georg Steinert
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hauke Smidt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Detmer Sipkema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rene H. Wijffels
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Bodø, Norway
| | - Maria J. Barbosa
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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89
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Podolsky IA, Seppälä S, Lankiewicz TS, Brown JL, Swift CL, O'Malley MA. Harnessing Nature's Anaerobes for Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2019; 10:105-128. [PMID: 30883214 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-060718-030340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Industrial biotechnology has the potential to decrease our reliance on petroleum for fuel and bio-based chemical production and also enable valorization of waste streams. Anaerobic microorganisms thrive in resource-limited environments and offer an array of novel bioactivities in this regard that could revolutionize biomanufacturing. However, they have not been adopted for widespread industrial use owing to their strict growth requirements, limited number of available strains, difficulty in scale-up, and genetic intractability. This review provides an overview of current and future uses for anaerobes in biotechnology and bioprocessing in the postgenomic era. We focus on the recently characterized anaerobic fungi (Neocallimastigomycota) native to the digestive tract of large herbivores, which possess a trove of enzymes, pathways, transporters, and other biomolecules that can be harnessed for numerous biotechnological applications. Resolving current genetic intractability, scale-up, and cultivation challenges will unlock the potential of these lignocellulolytic fungi and other nonmodel micro-organisms to accelerate bio-based production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor A Podolsky
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Susanna Seppälä
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Thomas S Lankiewicz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Jennifer L Brown
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Candice L Swift
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Michelle A O'Malley
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA; , , , , ,
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90
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Zhou W, Le J, Chen Y, Cai Y, Hong Z, Chai Y. Recent advances in microfluidic devices for bacteria and fungus research. Trends Analyt Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2018.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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91
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Pan C, Tan GYA, Ge L, Chen CL, Wang JY. Two-stage microbial conversion of crude glycerol to 1,3-propanediol and polyhydroxyalkanoates after pretreatment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 232:615-624. [PMID: 30522068 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
With increasing demand for biodiesel, crude glycerol as a by-product in biodiesel production has been generated and oversupplied. This study, therefore, explored the pretreatment and a subsequent two-stage microbial system to convert crude glycerol into high value-added products: 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). After pretreatment, long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) could be effectively removed from crude glycerol to eliminate the inhibition effects on subsequent microbial process. In the anaerobic fermentation, when fed treated crude glycerol increased from 20 g/L to 100 g/L, 1,3-PDO yield decreased from 0.438 g/g to 0.345 g/g and accompanied carboxylic acids shifted from acetate and lactate dominant to lactate overwhelmingly dominant. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Clostridiales sustained around 50% but Enterobacteriales increased from 19% to 53%. Further fed glycerol increase to 140 g/L resulted in severe substrate inhibition, which could be relieved by intermittent feeding. In aerobic process, glycerol anaerobic digestion effluent (ADE) was fed to the consortium of Bacillus megaterium and Corynebacterium hydrocarbooxydans for selectively consumption of carboxylic acids and residual glycerol from 1,3-PDO to produce PHAs as a secondary high value-added product. The consortium accumulated maximum 8.0 g/L poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and 1,3-PDO purity increased from initial 27.7% to almost 100% when fed with 100 g/L glycerol ADE. Overall, this study provided comprehensive and insightful information on microbial conversion of crude glycerol to high value-added products after pretreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaozhi Pan
- Division of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
| | - Giin-Yu Amy Tan
- Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
| | - Liya Ge
- Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore.
| | - Chia-Lung Chen
- Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
| | - Jing-Yuan Wang
- Division of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
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92
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Hart SFM, Mi H, Green R, Xie L, Pineda JMB, Momeni B, Shou W. Uncovering and resolving challenges of quantitative modeling in a simplified community of interacting cells. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000135. [PMID: 30794534 PMCID: PMC6402699 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative modeling is useful for predicting behaviors of a system and for rationally constructing or modifying the system. The predictive power of a model relies on accurate quantification of model parameters. Here, we illustrate challenges in parameter quantification and offer means to overcome these challenges, using a case example in which we quantitatively predict the growth rate of a cooperative community. Specifically, the community consists of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, each engineered to release a metabolite required and consumed by its partner. The initial model, employing parameters measured in batch monocultures with zero or excess metabolite, failed to quantitatively predict experimental results. To resolve the model-experiment discrepancy, we chemically identified the correct exchanged metabolites, but this did not improve model performance. We then remeasured strain phenotypes in chemostats mimicking the metabolite-limited community environments, while mitigating or incorporating effects of rapid evolution. Almost all phenotypes we measured, including death rate, metabolite release rate, and the amount of metabolite consumed per cell birth, varied significantly with the metabolite environment. Once we used parameters measured in a range of community-like chemostat environments, prediction quantitatively agreed with experimental results. In summary, using a simplified community, we uncovered and devised means to resolve modeling challenges that are likely general to living systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel F. M. Hart
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Hanbing Mi
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Robin Green
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Li Xie
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jose Mario Bello Pineda
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Babak Momeni
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Wenying Shou
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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93
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Hierarchical composition of reliable recombinase logic devices. Nat Commun 2019; 10:456. [PMID: 30692530 PMCID: PMC6349923 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08391-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A major goal of synthetic biology is to reprogram living organisms to solve pressing challenges in manufacturing, environmental remediation, and healthcare. Recombinase devices can efficiently encode complex logic in many species, yet current designs are performed on a case-by-case basis, limiting their scalability and requiring time-consuming optimization. Here we provide a systematic framework for engineering reliable recombinase logic devices by hierarchical composition of well-characterized, optimized recombinase switches. We apply this framework to build a recombinase logic device family supporting up to 4-input Boolean logic within a multicellular system. This work enables straightforward implementation of multicellular recombinase logic and will support the predictable engineering of several classes of recombinase devices to reliably control cellular behavior. Genetic logic devices allow the host cell to incorporate multiple inputs to determine output behaviour. Here the authors provide a framework for engineering reliable recombinase-based devices and demonstrate 4-input logic in a multicellular system.
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94
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History, Current State, and Emerging Applications of Industrial Biotechnology. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 173:13-51. [PMID: 30671594 DOI: 10.1007/10_2018_81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The past 150 years have seen remarkable discoveries, rapidly growing biological knowledge, and giant technological leaps providing biotechnological solutions for healthcare, food production, and other societal needs. Genetic engineering, miniaturization, and ever-increasing computing power, in particular, have been key technological drivers for the past few decades. Looking ahead, the eventual transition from fossil resources to biomass and CO2 demands a shift toward a 'bio-economy' based on novel production processes and engineered organisms.
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95
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Gilbert C, Ellis T. Biological Engineered Living Materials: Growing Functional Materials with Genetically Programmable Properties. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1-15. [PMID: 30576101 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Natural biological materials exhibit remarkable properties: self-assembly from simple raw materials, precise control of morphology, diverse physical and chemical properties, self-repair, and the ability to sense-and-respond to environmental stimuli. Despite having found numerous uses in human industry and society, the utility of natural biological materials is limited. But, could it be possible to genetically program microbes to create entirely new and useful biological materials? At the intersection between microbiology, material science, and synthetic biology, the emerging field of biological engineered living materials (ELMs) aims to answer this question. Here we review recent efforts to program cells to produce living materials with novel functional properties, focusing on microbial systems that can be engineered to grow materials and on new genetic circuits for pattern formation that could be used to produce the more complex systems of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie Gilbert
- Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Tom Ellis
- Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
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96
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Ma Q, Bi YH, Wang EX, Zhai BB, Dong XT, Qiao B, Ding MZ, Yuan YJ. Integrated proteomic and metabolomic analysis of a reconstructed three-species microbial consortium for one-step fermentation of 2-keto-l-gulonic acid, the precursor of vitamin C. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 46:21-31. [DOI: 10.1007/s10295-018-2096-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Microbial consortia, with the merits of strong stability, robustness, and multi-function, played critical roles in human health, bioenergy, and food manufacture, etc. On the basis of ‘build a consortium to understand it’, a novel microbial consortium consisted of Gluconobacter oxydans, Ketogulonicigenium vulgare and Bacillus endophyticus was reconstructed to produce 2-keto-l-gulonic acid (2-KGA), the precursor of vitamin C. With this synthetic consortium, 73.7 g/L 2-KGA was obtained within 30 h, which is comparable to the conventional industrial method. A combined time-series proteomic and metabolomic analysis of the fermentation process was conducted to further investigate the cell–cell interaction. The results suggested that the existence of B. endophyticus and G. oxydans together promoted the growth of K. vulgare by supplying additional nutrients, and promoted the 2-KGA production by supplying more substrate. Meanwhile, the growth of B. endophyticus and G. oxydans was compromised from the competition of the nutrients by K. vulgare, enabling the efficient production of 2-KGA. This study provides valuable guidance for further study of synthetic microbial consortia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Ma
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0000 9735 6249 grid.413109.e College of Biotechnology Tianjin University of Science and Technology 300457 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan-Hui Bi
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
| | - En-Xu Wang
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
| | - Bing-Bing Zhai
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiu-Tao Dong
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
| | - Bin Qiao
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
| | - Ming-Zhu Ding
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying-Jin Yuan
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University No. 92, Weijin Road 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
- 0000 0004 1761 2484 grid.33763.32 SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin) Tianjin University 300072 Tianjin People’s Republic of China
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97
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Haruta S, Yamamoto K. Model Microbial Consortia as Tools for Understanding Complex Microbial Communities. Curr Genomics 2018; 19:723-733. [PMID: 30532651 PMCID: PMC6225455 DOI: 10.2174/1389202919666180911131206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A major biological challenge in the postgenomic era has been untangling the composition and functions of microbes that inhabit complex communities or microbiomes. Multi-omics and modern bioinformatics have provided the tools to assay molecules across different cellular and community scales; however, mechanistic knowledge over microbial interactions often remains elusive. This is due to the immense diversity and the essentially undiminished volume of not-yet-cultured microbes. Simplified model communities hold some promise in enabling researchers to manage complexity so that they can mechanistically understand the emergent properties of microbial community interactions. In this review, we surveyed several approaches that have effectively used tractable model consortia to elucidate the complex behavior of microbial communities. We go further to provide some perspectives on the limitations and new opportunities with these approaches and highlight where these efforts are likely to lead as advances are made in molecular ecology and systems biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Haruta
- Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan; Tel: +81-42-677-2580; Fax: +81-42-677-2559; E-mail:
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98
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Microbial Consortium Design Benefits from Metabolic Modeling. Trends Biotechnol 2018; 37:123-125. [PMID: 30477738 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Consortia outperform single microorganisms at multiple tasks. However, consortium design is challenging and successful application examples are rare. A major challenge is the selection of consortium members such that performance is optimized. In a recent publication, metabolic modeling has been successfully applied to aid consortium design.
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99
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McGenity TJ. 2038 – When microbes rule the Earth. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:4213-4220. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Terry J. McGenity
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Essex Colchester United Kingdom
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100
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Diep P, Mahadevan R, Yakunin AF. Heavy Metal Removal by Bioaccumulation Using Genetically Engineered Microorganisms. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2018; 6:157. [PMID: 30420950 PMCID: PMC6215804 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Wastewater effluents from mines and metal refineries are often contaminated with heavy metal ions, so they pose hazards to human and environmental health. Conventional technologies to remove heavy metal ions are well-established, but the most popular methods have drawbacks: chemical precipitation generates sludge waste, and activated carbon and ion exchange resins are made from unsustainable non-renewable resources. Using microbial biomass as the platform for heavy metal ion removal is an alternative method. Specifically, bioaccumulation is a natural biological phenomenon where microorganisms use proteins to uptake and sequester metal ions in the intracellular space to utilize in cellular processes (e.g., enzyme catalysis, signaling, stabilizing charges on biomolecules). Recombinant expression of these import-storage systems in genetically engineered microorganisms allows for enhanced uptake and sequestration of heavy metal ions. This has been studied for over two decades for bioremediative applications, but successful translation to industrial-scale processes is virtually non-existent. Meanwhile, demands for metal resources are increasing while discovery rates to supply primary grade ores are not. This review re-thinks how bioaccumulation can be used and proposes that it can be developed for bioextractive applications-the removal and recovery of heavy metal ions for downstream purification and refining, rather than disposal. This review consolidates previously tested import-storage systems into a biochemical framework and highlights efforts to overcome obstacles that limit industrial feasibility, thereby identifying gaps in knowledge and potential avenues of research in bioaccumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alexander F. Yakunin
- BioZone - Centre for Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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