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Jiang Y, Wu R, Zhang W, Xin F, Jiang M. Construction of stable microbial consortia for effective biochemical synthesis. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:1430-1441. [PMID: 37330325 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Microbial consortia can complete otherwise arduous tasks through the cooperation of multiple microbial species. This concept has been applied to produce commodity chemicals, natural products, and biofuels. However, metabolite incompatibility and growth competition can make the microbial composition unstable, and fluctuating microbial populations reduce the efficiency of chemical production. Thus, controlling the populations and regulating the complex interactions between different strains are challenges in constructing stable microbial consortia. This Review discusses advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to control social interactions within microbial cocultures, including substrate separation, byproduct elimination, crossfeeding, and quorum-sensing circuit design. Additionally, this Review addresses interdisciplinary strategies to improve the stability of microbial consortia and provides design principles for microbial consortia to enhance chemical production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China.
| | - Ruofan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China
| | - Wenming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China; Jiangsu Academy of Chemical Inherent Safety, Nanjing, 211800, China
| | - Fengxue Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China; Jiangsu Academy of Chemical Inherent Safety, Nanjing, 211800, China.
| | - Min Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China; Jiangsu Academy of Chemical Inherent Safety, Nanjing, 211800, China
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2
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Li S, Xiao J, Sun T, Yu F, Zhang K, Feng Y, Xu C, Wang B, Cheng L. Synthetic microbial consortia with programmable ecological interactions. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shuyao Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
| | - Jing Xiao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
| | - Tianzheng Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
| | - Fangjian Yu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
| | - Kaihang Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
| | - Yuantao Feng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
| | - Chenchao Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
| | - Baojun Wang
- Hangzhou Innovation Center & College of Chemical and Biological Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 311200 China
- Research Centre for Biological Computation, Zhejiang Laboratory Hangzhou 311100 China
| | - Lei Cheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 China
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3
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Reproducible Propagation of Species-Rich Soil Bacterial Communities Suggests Robust Underlying Deterministic Principles of Community Formation. mSystems 2022; 7:e0016022. [PMID: 35353008 PMCID: PMC9040596 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00160-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbiomes are typically characterized by high species diversity but it is poorly understood how such system-level complexity can be generated and propagated. Here, we used soil microcosms as a model to study development of bacterial communities as a function of their starting complexity and environmental boundary conditions. Despite inherent stochastic variation in manipulating species-rich communities, both laboratory-mixed medium complexity (21 soil bacterial isolates in equal proportions) and high-diversity natural top-soil communities followed highly reproducible succession paths, maintaining 16S rRNA gene amplicon signatures prominent for known soil communities in general. Development trajectories and compositional states were different for communities propagated in soil microcosms than in liquid suspension. Compositional states were maintained over multiple renewed growth cycles but could be diverged by short-term pollutant exposure. The different but robust trajectories demonstrated that deterministic taxa-inherent characteristics underlie reproducible development and self-organized complexity of soil microbiomes within their environmental boundary conditions. Our findings also have direct implications for potential strategies to achieve controlled restoration of desertified land. IMPORTANCE There is now a great awareness of the high diversity of most environmental (“free-living”) and host-associated microbiomes, but exactly how diverse microbial communities form and maintain is still highly debated. A variety of theories have been put forward, but testing them has been problematic because most studies have been based on synthetic communities that fail to accurately mimic the natural composition (i.e., the species used are typically not found together in the same environment), the diversity (usually too low to be representative), or the environmental system itself (using designs with single carbon sources or solely mixed liquid cultures). In this study, we show how species-diverse soil bacterial communities can reproducibly be generated, propagated, and maintained, either from individual isolates (21 soil bacterial strains) or from natural microbial mixtures washed from top-soil. The high replicate consistency we achieve both in terms of species compositions and developmental trajectories demonstrates the strong inherent deterministic factors driving community formation from their species composition. Generating complex soil microbiomes may provide ways for restoration of damaged soils that are prevalent on our planet.
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Understanding Interaction Patterns within Deep-Sea Microbial Communities and Their Potential Applications. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20020108. [PMID: 35200637 PMCID: PMC8874374 DOI: 10.3390/md20020108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental microbes living in communities engage in complex interspecies interactions that are challenging to decipher. Nevertheless, the interactions provide the basis for shaping community structure and functioning, which is crucial for ecosystem service. In addition, microbial interactions facilitate specific adaptation and ecological evolution processes particularly essential for microbial communities dwelling in resource-limiting habitats, such as the deep oceans. Recent technological and knowledge advancements provide an opportunity for the study of interactions within complex microbial communities, such as those inhabiting deep-sea waters and sediments. The microbial interaction studies provide insights into developing new strategies for biotechnical applications. For example, cooperative microbial interactions drive the degradation of complex organic matter such as chitins and celluloses. Such microbiologically-driven biogeochemical processes stimulate creative designs in many applied sciences. Understanding the interaction processes and mechanisms provides the basis for the development of synthetic communities and consequently the achievement of specific community functions. Microbial community engineering has many application potentials, including the production of novel antibiotics, biofuels, and other valuable chemicals and biomaterials. It can also be developed into biotechniques for waste processing and environmental contaminant bioremediation. This review summarizes our current understanding of the microbial interaction mechanisms and emerging techniques for inferring interactions in deep-sea microbial communities, aiding in future biotechnological and therapeutic applications.
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Baquero F, Martínez JL, F. Lanza V, Rodríguez-Beltrán J, Galán JC, San Millán A, Cantón R, Coque TM. Evolutionary Pathways and Trajectories in Antibiotic Resistance. Clin Microbiol Rev 2021; 34:e0005019. [PMID: 34190572 PMCID: PMC8404696 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00050-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution is the hallmark of life. Descriptions of the evolution of microorganisms have provided a wealth of information, but knowledge regarding "what happened" has precluded a deeper understanding of "how" evolution has proceeded, as in the case of antimicrobial resistance. The difficulty in answering the "how" question lies in the multihierarchical dimensions of evolutionary processes, nested in complex networks, encompassing all units of selection, from genes to communities and ecosystems. At the simplest ontological level (as resistance genes), evolution proceeds by random (mutation and drift) and directional (natural selection) processes; however, sequential pathways of adaptive variation can occasionally be observed, and under fixed circumstances (particular fitness landscapes), evolution is predictable. At the highest level (such as that of plasmids, clones, species, microbiotas), the systems' degrees of freedom increase dramatically, related to the variable dispersal, fragmentation, relatedness, or coalescence of bacterial populations, depending on heterogeneous and changing niches and selective gradients in complex environments. Evolutionary trajectories of antibiotic resistance find their way in these changing landscapes subjected to random variations, becoming highly entropic and therefore unpredictable. However, experimental, phylogenetic, and ecogenetic analyses reveal preferential frequented paths (highways) where antibiotic resistance flows and propagates, allowing some understanding of evolutionary dynamics, modeling and designing interventions. Studies on antibiotic resistance have an applied aspect in improving individual health, One Health, and Global Health, as well as an academic value for understanding evolution. Most importantly, they have a heuristic significance as a model to reduce the negative influence of anthropogenic effects on the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Baquero
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Network Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - J. L. Martínez
- National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - V. F. Lanza
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Network Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Central Bioinformatics Unit, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - J. Rodríguez-Beltrán
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Network Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - J. C. Galán
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Network Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - A. San Millán
- National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - R. Cantón
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Network Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - T. M. Coque
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Network Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
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Abstract
Microbial roles in cancer formation, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment have been disputed for centuries. Recent studies have provocatively claimed that bacteria, viruses, and/or fungi are pervasive among cancers, key actors in cancer immunotherapy, and engineerable to treat metastases. Despite these findings, the number of microbes known to directly cause carcinogenesis remains small. Critically evaluating and building frameworks for such evidence in light of modern cancer biology is an important task. In this Review, we delineate between causal and complicit roles of microbes in cancer and trace common themes of their influence through the host's immune system, herein defined as the immuno-oncology-microbiome axis. We further review evidence for intratumoral microbes and approaches that manipulate the host's gut or tumor microbiome while projecting the next phase of experimental discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laurence Zitvogel
- Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), Equipe Labellisée-Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Villejuif, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM) U1015, Villejuif, France
- Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Center of Clinical Investigations in Biotherapies of Cancer (CICBT) 1428, Villejuif, France
| | - Ravid Straussman
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jeff Hasty
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Molecular Biology Section, Division of Biological Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Wargo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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7
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Hahne J, Lipski A. Growth interferences between bacterial strains from raw cow's milk and their impact on growth of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. J Appl Microbiol 2021; 131:2019-2032. [PMID: 33660914 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
AIMS The purpose of this study was to detect growth enhancing or inhibiting activity between bacterial populations from raw milk under different conditions (temperature, medium). METHODS AND RESULTS The interference of 24 raw milk isolates on growth of each other and on Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus was screened by drop assay and for selected pairs in co-cultivation experiments. By drop assay, antibacterial activity was observed for 40% of the strains. About 30% of the strains showed growth-enhancing activity on other strains. Most of the isolates were well adapted to cold temperatures and showed consistent or even increased inhibiting or enhancing effects on growth of other strains at 10°C. The growth of L. monocytogenes DSM 20600T and S. aureus DSM 1104T was significantly (P < 0·05) reduced in co-cultivation with Pseudomonas protegens JZ R-192. CONCLUSIONS Growth interferences between bacterial populations have an impact on the structure of raw milk microbiota, especially when it develops under cold storage, and it may have an effect on the prevalence of certain foodborne pathogens. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This study demonstrates growth-inhibiting and also growth-enhancing interactions between raw milk bacteria, which must be considered when predicting bacterial growth and spoilage in food. A Ps. protegens strain isolated from raw milk showed an antagonistic effect on growth of L. monocytogenes in refrigerated raw milk.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Hahne
- Department of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - A Lipski
- Department of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Boutin S, Dalpke AH. The Microbiome: A Reservoir to Discover New Antimicrobials Agents. Curr Top Med Chem 2020; 20:1291-1299. [DOI: 10.2174/1568026620666200320112731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Nature offered mankind the first golden era of discovery of novel antimicrobials based on
the ability of eukaryotes or micro-organisms to produce such compounds. The microbial world proved
to be a huge reservoir of such antimicrobial compounds which play important functional roles in every
environment. However, most of those organisms are still uncultivable in a classical way, and therefore,
the use of extended culture or DNA based methods (metagenomics) to discover novel compounds
promises usefulness. In the past decades, the advances in next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics
revealed the enormous diversity of the microbial worlds and the functional repertoire available for
studies. Thus, data-mining becomes of particular interest in the context of the increased need for new
antibiotics due to antimicrobial resistance and the rush in antimicrobial discovery. In this review, an
overview of principles will be presented to discover new natural compounds from the microbiome. We
describe culture-based and culture-independent (metagenomic) approaches that have been developed to
identify new antimicrobials and the input of those methods in the field as well as their limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Boutin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alexander H. Dalpke
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Medical Faculty, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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9
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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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10
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Velagapudi P, Ghoubrial R, Shah R, Ghali H, Haas M, Patel KS, Riddell A, Blanar CA, Smith RP. A potential tradeoff between feeding rate and aversive learning determines intoxication in a Caenorhabditis elegans host-pathogen system. Microbes Infect 2020; 22:340-348. [PMID: 32014589 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2020.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Despite being the first line of defense against infection, little is known about how host-pathogen interactions determine avoidance. Caenorhabditis elegans can become infected by chemoattractant-producing bacteria through ingestion. The worms can learn to associate these chemoattractants with harm through aversive learning. As a result, the worms will avoid the pathogen. Evolutionary constraints have likely shaped the attraction, intoxication and learning dynamics between bacteria and C. elegans, but these have not been explored. Using bacteria engineered to express an acylhomoserine lactone chemoattractant and a nematicidal protein, we explored how manipulating the amount of attractant produced by the bacteria affects learning and intoxication in mixed stage populations of C. elegans. We found that increasing the production rate of the chemoattractant increased the feeding rate in C. elegans, but decreased the time required for C. elegans to learn to avoid the chemoattractant. Learning generally coincided with a decreased feeding rate. We also observed that the percentage of intoxicated worms was maximized at intermediate production rates of the attractant. We propose that interactions between attractant driven feeding rate and aversive learning are likely responsible for this trend. Our results increase our understanding of behavioral avoidance in C. elegans and have implications in understanding host-pathogen dynamics that shape avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallavi Velagapudi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Rachel Ghoubrial
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Ratnavi Shah
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Helana Ghali
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Meghan Haas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Krunal S Patel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Ashleigh Riddell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Christopher A Blanar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA
| | - Robert P Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale FL, 33314, USA.
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11
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Dressler MD, Conde J, Eldakar OT, Smith RP. Timing between successive introduction events determines establishment success in bacteria with an Allee effect. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190598. [PMID: 31039716 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Propagule pressure is a leading determinant of population establishment. Yet, an experimental understanding of how propagule size and number (two principal parts of propagule pressure) determine establishment success remains incomplete. Theoretical studies suggest that the timing between introduction events, a component of propagule number, can influence establishment success. However, this dynamic has rarely been explored experimentally. Using Escherichia coli engineered with an Allee effect, we investigated how the timing of two introduction events influences establishment. For populations introduced below the Allee threshold, establishment occurred if the time between two introduction events was sufficiently short, with the length of time between events further reduced by reducing growth rate. Interestingly, we observed that as the density of bacteria introduced in one introduction event increased, the time between introduction events that allowed for establishment increased. Using a mathematical model, we provide support that the mechanism behind these trends is the ability of the first population to modify the environment, which can pave the way for establishment of the second population. Our results provide experimental evidence that the temporal distribution of introduction events regulates establishment, furthering our understanding of propagule pressure and may have implications in invasion biology and infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Dressler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University , Fort Lauderdale, FL , USA
| | - Josue Conde
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University , Fort Lauderdale, FL , USA
| | - Omar Tonsi Eldakar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University , Fort Lauderdale, FL , USA
| | - Robert P Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University , Fort Lauderdale, FL , USA
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12
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Abstract
In biological systems, extracellular vesicles including exosomes have recently been revealed to play a significant role in the communication between various cells, and the number of papers on this subject has dramatically increased. In current conventional exosome studies, the standard research method is to use liquid biopsies to analyze extracts of various disease exosomes. However, exosomes are only one of many key players in natural cellular interactions. Reproducing the phenomena occurring in vivo and investigating the interactions are required in order to examine their role fully. For exosome research, an alternative to the liquid biopsy method for observing natural interactions is the co-culturing technique. It does not require an exosome extraction procedure, and while the technique has been used in many studies thus far, its application to exosome research has been limited. However, the use of co-culturing technologies is necessary to examine the essential interactions of exosomes. An overview of exosome research methodologies and co-culturing systems is thus provided here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeo Shimasaki
- Medical Research Institute, Kanazawa Medical University.,Department of Gastroenterology, Kanazawa Medical University.,Ginreilab Inc
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13
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Besset-Manzoni Y, Rieusset L, Joly P, Comte G, Prigent-Combaret C. Exploiting rhizosphere microbial cooperation for developing sustainable agriculture strategies. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:29953-29970. [PMID: 29313197 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-1152-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The rhizosphere hosts a considerable microbial community. Among that community, bacteria called plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can promote plant growth and defense against diseases using diverse distinct plant-beneficial functions. Crop inoculation with PGPR could allow to reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agrosystems. However, microbial crop protection and growth stimulation would be more efficient if cooperation between rhizosphere bacterial populations was taken into account when developing biocontrol agents and biostimulants. Rhizospheric bacteria live in multi-species biofilms formed all along the root surface or sometimes inside the plants (i.e., endophyte). PGPR cooperate with their host plants and also with other microbial populations inside biofilms. These interactions are mediated by a large diversity of microbial metabolites and physical signals that trigger cell-cell communication and appropriate responses. A better understanding of bacterial behavior and microbial cooperation in the rhizosphere could allow for a more successful use of bacteria in sustainable agriculture. This review presents an ecological view of microbial cooperation in agrosystems and lays the emphasis on the main microbial metabolites involved in microbial cooperation, plant health protection, and plant growth stimulation. Eco-friendly inoculant consortia that will foster microbe-microbe and microbe-plant cooperation can be developed to promote crop growth and restore biodiversity and functions lost in agrosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoann Besset-Manzoni
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, 43 bd du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622, Villeurbanne cedex, France
- Biovitis, 15 400, Saint Etienne-de-Chomeil, France
| | - Laura Rieusset
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, 43 bd du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Pierre Joly
- Biovitis, 15 400, Saint Etienne-de-Chomeil, France
| | - Gilles Comte
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, 43 bd du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Claire Prigent-Combaret
- UMR Ecologie Microbienne, CNRS, INRA, VetAgro Sup, UCBL, Université de Lyon, 43 bd du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622, Villeurbanne cedex, France.
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14
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Antibiotic discovery: combining isolation chip (iChip) technology and co-culture technique. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:7333-7341. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9193-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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15
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Ehsani E, Hernandez-Sanabria E, Kerckhof FM, Props R, Vilchez-Vargas R, Vital M, Pieper DH, Boon N. Initial evenness determines diversity and cell density dynamics in synthetic microbial ecosystems. Sci Rep 2018; 8:340. [PMID: 29321640 PMCID: PMC5762898 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18668-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of initial evenness on the temporal trajectory of synthetic communities in comprehensive, low-volume microcosm studies remains unknown. We used flow cytometric fingerprinting and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to assess the impact of time on community structure in one hundred synthetic ecosystems of fixed richness but varying initial evenness. Both methodologies uncovered a similar reduction in diversity within synthetic communities of medium and high initial evenness classes. However, the results of amplicon sequencing showed that there were no significant differences between and within the communities in all evenness groups at the end of the experiment. Nevertheless, initial evenness significantly impacted the cell density of the community after five medium transfers. Highly even communities retained the highest cell densities at the end of the experiment. The relative abundances of individual species could be associated to particular evenness groups, suggesting that their presence was dependent on the initial evenness of the synthetic community. Our results reveal that using synthetic communities for testing ecological hypotheses requires prior assessment of initial evenness, as it impacts temporal dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Ehsani
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | - Ruben Props
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ramiro Vilchez-Vargas
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marius Vital
- Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, Braunschweig, 38124, Germany
| | - Dietmar H Pieper
- Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, Braunschweig, 38124, Germany
| | - Nico Boon
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
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16
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Modeling Microbial Communities: A Call for Collaboration between Experimentalists and Theorists. Processes (Basel) 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/pr5040053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
With our growing understanding of the impact of microbial communities, understanding how such communities function has become a priority. The influence of microbial communities is widespread. Human-associated microbiota impacts health, environmental microbes determine ecosystem sustainability, and microbe-driven industrial processes are expanding. This broad range of applications has led to a wide range of approaches to analyze and describe microbial communities. In particular, theoretical work based on mathematical modeling has been a steady source of inspiration for explaining and predicting microbial community processes. Here, we survey some of the modeling approaches used in different contexts. We promote classifying different approaches using a unified platform, and encourage cataloging the findings in a database. We believe that the synergy emerging from a coherent collection facilitates a better understanding of important processes that determine microbial community functions. We emphasize the importance of close collaboration between theoreticians and experimentalists in formulating, classifying, and improving models of microbial communities.
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17
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Scott SR, Din MO, Bittihn P, Xiong L, Tsimring LS, Hasty J. A stabilized microbial ecosystem of self-limiting bacteria using synthetic quorum-regulated lysis. Nat Microbiol 2017; 2:17083. [PMID: 28604679 PMCID: PMC5603288 DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Microbial ecologists are increasingly turning to small, synthesized ecosystems1-5 as a reductionist tool to probe the complexity of native microbiomes6,7. Concurrently, synthetic biologists have gone from single-cell gene circuits8-11 to controlling whole populations using intercellular signalling12-16. The intersection of these fields is giving rise to new approaches in waste recycling17, industrial fermentation18, bioremediation19 and human health16,20. These applications share a common challenge7 well-known in classical ecology21,22-stability of an ecosystem cannot arise without mechanisms that prohibit the faster-growing species from eliminating the slower. Here, we combine orthogonal quorum-sensing systems and a population control circuit with diverse self-limiting growth dynamics to engineer two 'ortholysis' circuits capable of maintaining a stable co-culture of metabolically competitive Salmonella typhimurium strains in microfluidic devices. Although no successful co-cultures are observed in a two-strain ecology without synthetic population control, the 'ortholysis' design dramatically increases the co-culture rate from 0% to approximately 80%. Agent-based and deterministic modelling reveal that our system can be adjusted to yield different dynamics, including phase-shifted, antiphase or synchronized oscillations, as well as stable steady-state population densities. The 'ortholysis' approach establishes a paradigm for constructing synthetic ecologies by developing stable communities of competitive microorganisms without the need for engineered co-dependency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer R. Scott
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - M Omar Din
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Philip Bittihn
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- The San Diego Center for Systems Biology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Liyang Xiong
- The San Diego Center for Systems Biology, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Lev S. Tsimring
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- The San Diego Center for Systems Biology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Jeff Hasty
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- The San Diego Center for Systems Biology, La Jolla, California, USA
- Molecular Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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18
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Wilson CE, Lopatkin AJ, Craddock TJA, Driscoll WW, Eldakar OT, Lopez JV, Smith RP. Cooperation and competition shape ecological resistance during periodic spatial disturbance of engineered bacteria. Sci Rep 2017; 7:440. [PMID: 28348396 PMCID: PMC5428654 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00588-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation is fundamental to the survival of many bacterial species. Previous studies have shown that spatial structure can both promote and suppress cooperation. Most environments where bacteria are found are periodically disturbed, which can affect the spatial structure of the population. Despite the important role that spatial disturbances play in maintaining ecological relationships, it remains unclear as to how periodic spatial disturbances affect bacteria dependent on cooperation for survival. Here, we use bacteria engineered with a strong Allee effect to investigate how the frequency of periodic spatial disturbances affects cooperation. We show that at intermediate frequencies of spatial disturbance, the ability of the bacterial population to cooperate is perturbed. A mathematical model demonstrates that periodic spatial disturbance leads to a tradeoff between accessing an autoinducer and accessing nutrients, which determines the ability of the bacteria to cooperate. Based on this relationship, we alter the ability of the bacteria to access an autoinducer. We show that increased access to an autoinducer can enhance cooperation, but can also reduce ecological resistance, defined as the ability of a population to resist changes due to disturbance. Our results may have implications in maintaining stability of microbial communities and in the treatment of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cortney E Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA.,Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 North Ocean Dr, Dania Beach, Florida, 33004, USA
| | - Allison J Lopatkin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Travis J A Craddock
- Clinical Systems Biology Group, Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA.,Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, College of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA.,Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computing, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA.,Department of Clinical Immunology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA
| | - William W Driscoll
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 100 Ecology, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Omar Tonsi Eldakar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA
| | - Jose V Lopez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA.,Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 North Ocean Dr, Dania Beach, Florida, 33004, USA
| | - Robert P Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Ave, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA.
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19
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20
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Cao Y, Ryser MD, Payne S, Li B, Rao CV, You L. Collective Space-Sensing Coordinates Pattern Scaling in Engineered Bacteria. Cell 2016; 165:620-30. [PMID: 27104979 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Revised: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Scale invariance refers to the maintenance of a constant ratio of developing organ size to body size. Although common, its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we examined scaling in engineered Escherichia coli that can form self-organized core-ring patterns in colonies. We found that the ring width exhibits perfect scale invariance to the colony size. Our analysis revealed a collective space-sensing mechanism, which entails sequential actions of an integral feedback loop and an incoherent feedforward loop. The integral feedback is implemented by the accumulation of a diffusive chemical produced by a colony. This accumulation, combined with nutrient consumption, sets the timing for ring initiation. The incoherent feedforward is implemented by the opposing effects of the domain size on the rate and duration of ring maturation. This mechanism emphasizes a role of timing control in achieving robust pattern scaling and provides a new perspective in examining the phenomenon in natural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangxiaolu Cao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Marc D Ryser
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Stephen Payne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Bochong Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Christopher V Rao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Lingchong You
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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21
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Kosina SM, Danielewicz MA, Mohammed M, Ray J, Suh Y, Yilmaz S, Singh AK, Arkin AP, Deutschbauer AM, Northen TR. Exometabolomics Assisted Design and Validation of Synthetic Obligate Mutualism. ACS Synth Biol 2016; 5:569-76. [PMID: 26885935 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic microbial ecology has the potential to enhance the productivity and resiliency of biotechnology processes compared to approaches using single isolates. Engineering microbial consortia is challenging; however, one approach that has attracted significant attention is the creation of synthetic obligate mutualism using auxotrophic mutants that depend on each other for exchange or cross-feeding of metabolites. Here, we describe the integration of mutant library fitness profiling with mass spectrometry based exometabolomics as a method for constructing synthetic mutualism based on cross-feeding. Two industrially important species lacking known ecological interactions, Zymomonas mobilis and Escherichia coli, were selected as the test species. Amino acid exometabolites identified in the spent medium of Z. mobilis were used to select three corresponding E. coli auxotrophs (proA, pheA and IlvA), as potential E. coli counterparts for the coculture. A pooled mutant fitness assay with a Z. mobilis transposon mutant library was used to identify mutants with improved growth in the presence of E. coli. An auxotroph mutant in a gene (ZMO0748) with sequence similarity to cysteine synthase A (cysK), was selected as the Z. mobilis counterpart for the coculture. Exometabolomic analysis of spent E. coli medium identified glutathione related metabolites as potentially available for rescue of the Z. mobilis cysteine synthase mutant. Three sets of cocultures between the Z. mobilis auxotroph and each of the three E. coli auxotrophs were monitored by optical density for growth and analyzed by flow cytometry to confirm high cell counts for each species. Taken together, our methods provide a technological framework for creating synthetic mutualisms combining existing screening based methods and exometabolomics for both the selection of obligate mutualism partners and elucidation of metabolites involved in auxotroph rescue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne M. Kosina
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Megan A. Danielewicz
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Mujahid Mohammed
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jayashree Ray
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Yumi Suh
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Suzan Yilmaz
- Sandia National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Anup K. Singh
- Sandia National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Adam P. Arkin
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Adam M. Deutschbauer
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Trent R. Northen
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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22
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Gibson TE, Bashan A, Cao HT, Weiss ST, Liu YY. On the Origins and Control of Community Types in the Human Microbiome. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1004688. [PMID: 26866806 PMCID: PMC4750989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbiome-based stratification of healthy individuals into compositional categories, referred to as "enterotypes" or "community types", holds promise for drastically improving personalized medicine. Despite this potential, the existence of community types and the degree of their distinctness have been highly debated. Here we adopted a dynamic systems approach and found that heterogeneity in the interspecific interactions or the presence of strongly interacting species is sufficient to explain community types, independent of the topology of the underlying ecological network. By controlling the presence or absence of these strongly interacting species we can steer the microbial ecosystem to any desired community type. This open-loop control strategy still holds even when the community types are not distinct but appear as dense regions within a continuous gradient. This finding can be used to develop viable therapeutic strategies for shifting the microbial composition to a healthy configuration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis E. Gibson
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Amir Bashan
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hong-Tai Cao
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Chu Kochen Honors College, College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Scott T. Weiss
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Yang-Yu Liu
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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23
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Hosoda K, Tsuda S, Kadowaki K, Nakamura Y, Nakano T, Ishii K. Population-reaction model and microbial experimental ecosystems for understanding hierarchical dynamics of ecosystems. Biosystems 2015; 140:28-34. [PMID: 26747638 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2015.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Understanding ecosystem dynamics is crucial as contemporary human societies face ecosystem degradation. One of the challenges that needs to be recognized is the complex hierarchical dynamics. Conventional dynamic models in ecology often represent only the population level and have yet to include the dynamics of the sub-organism level, which makes an ecosystem a complex adaptive system that shows characteristic behaviors such as resilience and regime shifts. The neglect of the sub-organism level in the conventional dynamic models would be because integrating multiple hierarchical levels makes the models unnecessarily complex unless supporting experimental data are present. Now that large amounts of molecular and ecological data are increasingly accessible in microbial experimental ecosystems, it is worthwhile to tackle the questions of their complex hierarchical dynamics. Here, we propose an approach that combines microbial experimental ecosystems and a hierarchical dynamic model named population-reaction model. We present a simple microbial experimental ecosystem as an example and show how the system can be analyzed by a population-reaction model. We also show that population-reaction models can be applied to various ecological concepts, such as predator-prey interactions, climate change, evolution, and stability of diversity. Our approach will reveal a path to the general understanding of various ecosystems and organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazufumi Hosoda
- Institute for Academic Initiatives, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
| | - Soichiro Tsuda
- WestCHEM, School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Kohmei Kadowaki
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yutaka Nakamura
- Institute for Academic Initiatives, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tadashi Nakano
- Institute for Academic Initiatives, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kojiro Ishii
- Institute for Academic Initiatives, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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24
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Blanchard AE, Lu T. Bacterial social interactions drive the emergence of differential spatial colony structures. BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2015; 9:59. [PMID: 26377684 PMCID: PMC4573487 DOI: 10.1186/s12918-015-0188-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Background Social interactions have been increasingly recognized as one of the major factors that contribute to the dynamics and function of bacterial communities. To understand their functional roles and enable the design of robust synthetic consortia, one fundamental step is to determine the relationship between the social interactions of individuals and the spatiotemporal structures of communities. Results We present a systematic computational survey on this relationship for two-species communities by developing and utilizing a hybrid computational framework that combines discrete element techniques with reaction-diffusion equations. We found that deleterious interactions cause an increased variance in relative abundance, a drastic decrease in surviving lineages, and a rough expanding front. In contrast, beneficial interactions contribute to a reduced variance in relative abundance, an enhancement in lineage number, and a smooth expanding front. We also found that mutualism promotes spatial homogeneity and population robustness while competition increases spatial segregation and population fluctuations. To examine the generality of these findings, a large set of initial conditions with varying density and species abundance was tested and analyzed. In addition, a simplified mathematical model was developed to provide an analytical interpretation of the findings. Conclusions This work advances our fundamental understanding of bacterial social interactions and population structures and, simultaneously, benefits synthetic biology for facilitated engineering of artificial microbial consortia. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12918-015-0188-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E Blanchard
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, 61801, USA.
| | - Ting Lu
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, 61801, USA. .,Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1304 West Springfield Avenue, Urbana, 61801, USA. .,Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, 61801, USA.
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25
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González C, Ray JCJ, Manhart M, Adams RM, Nevozhay D, Morozov AV, Balázsi G. Stress-response balance drives the evolution of a network module and its host genome. Mol Syst Biol 2015; 11:827. [PMID: 26324468 PMCID: PMC4562500 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20156185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress response genes and their regulators form networks that underlie drug resistance. These networks often have an inherent tradeoff: their expression is costly in the absence of stress, but beneficial in stress. They can quickly emerge in the genomes of infectious microbes and cancer cells, protecting them from treatment. Yet, the evolution of stress resistance networks is not well understood. Here, we use a two-component synthetic gene circuit integrated into the budding yeast genome to model experimentally the adaptation of a stress response module and its host genome in three different scenarios. In agreement with computational predictions, we find that: (i) intra-module mutations target and eliminate the module if it confers only cost without any benefit to the cell; (ii) intra- and extra-module mutations jointly activate the module if it is potentially beneficial and confers no cost; and (iii) a few specific mutations repeatedly fine-tune the module's noisy response if it has excessive costs and/or insufficient benefits. Overall, these findings reveal how the timing and mechanisms of stress response network evolution depend on the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb González
- Department of Systems Biology - Unit 950, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joe Christian J Ray
- Department of Systems Biology - Unit 950, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA Center for Computational Biology & Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Michael Manhart
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rhys M Adams
- Department of Systems Biology - Unit 950, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dmitry Nevozhay
- Department of Systems Biology - Unit 950, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Alexandre V Morozov
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA BioMaPS Institute for Quantitative Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Gábor Balázsi
- Department of Systems Biology - Unit 950, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA Laufer Center for Physical & Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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26
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Abstract
A large fraction of microbial life on earth exists in complex communities where metabolic exchange is vital. Microbes trade essential resources to promote their own growth in an analogous way to countries that exchange goods in modern economic markets. Inspired by these similarities, we developed a framework based on general equilibrium theory (GET) from economics to predict the population dynamics of trading microbial communities. Our biotic GET (BGET) model provides an a priori theory of the growth benefits of microbial trade, yielding several novel insights relevant to understanding microbial ecology and engineering synthetic communities. We find that the economic concept of comparative advantage is a necessary condition for mutualistic trade. Our model suggests that microbial communities can grow faster when species are unable to produce essential resources that are obtained through trade, thereby promoting metabolic specialization and increased intercellular exchange. Furthermore, we find that species engaged in trade exhibit a fundamental tradeoff between growth rate and relative population abundance, and that different environments that put greater pressure on group selection versus individual selection will promote varying strategies along this growth-abundance spectrum. We experimentally tested this tradeoff using a synthetic consortium of Escherichia coli cells and found the results match the predictions of the model. This framework provides a foundation to study natural and engineered microbial communities through a new lens based on economic theories developed over the past century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Tasoff
- Department of Economics, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JT); (HHW)
| | - Michael T. Mee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Harris H. Wang
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JT); (HHW)
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27
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Antonovics J, Bergmann J, Hempel S, Verbruggen E, Veresoglou S, Rillig M. The evolution of mutualism from reciprocal parasitism: more ecological clothes for the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Evol Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-015-9775-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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28
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Collective antibiotic tolerance: mechanisms, dynamics and intervention. Nat Chem Biol 2015; 11:182-8. [PMID: 25689336 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.1754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria have developed resistance against every antibiotic at a rate that is alarming considering the timescale at which new antibiotics are developed. Thus, there is a critical need to use antibiotics more effectively, extend the shelf life of existing antibiotics and minimize their side effects. This requires understanding the mechanisms underlying bacterial drug responses. Past studies have focused on survival in the presence of antibiotics by individual cells, as genetic mutants or persisters. Also important, however, is the fact that a population of bacterial cells can collectively survive antibiotic treatments lethal to individual cells. This tolerance can arise by diverse mechanisms, including resistance-conferring enzyme production, titration-mediated bistable growth inhibition, swarming and interpopulation interactions. These strategies can enable rapid population recovery after antibiotic treatment and provide a time window during which otherwise susceptible bacteria can acquire inheritable genetic resistance. Here, we emphasize the potential for targeting collective antibiotic tolerance behaviors as an antibacterial treatment strategy.
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29
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Dimitriu T, Misevic D, Lindner AB, Taddei F. Mobile genetic elements are involved in bacterial sociality. Mob Genet Elements 2015; 5:7-11. [PMID: 26435881 PMCID: PMC4588217 DOI: 10.1080/2159256x.2015.1006110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Mobile genetic elements in bacteria are enriched in genes participating in social behaviors, suggesting an evolutionary link between gene mobility and social evolution. Cooperative behaviors, like the production of secreted public good molecules, are susceptible to the invasion of non-cooperative individuals, and their evolutionary maintenance requires mechanisms ensuring that benefits are directed preferentially to cooperators. In order to investigate the reasons for the mobility of public good genes, we designed a synthetic bacterial system where we control and quantify the transfer of public good production genes. In our recent study, we have experimentally shown that horizontal transfer helps maintain public good production in the face of both non-producer organisms and non-producer plasmids. Transfer spreads genes to neighboring cells, thus increasing relatedness and directing a higher proportion of public good benefits to producers. The effect is the strongest when public good genes undergo epidemics dynamics, making horizontal transfer especially relevant for pathogenic bacteria that repeatedly infect new hosts and base their virulence on costly public goods. The promotion of cooperation may be a general consequence of horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes. Our work has an intriguing parallel, cultural transmission, where horizontal transfer, such as teaching, may preferentially promote cooperative behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Dimitriu
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France
| | - Dusan Misevic
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France
| | - Ariel B Lindner
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France
| | - François Taddei
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France
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Goers L, Freemont P, Polizzi KM. Co-culture systems and technologies: taking synthetic biology to the next level. J R Soc Interface 2014; 11:rsif.2014.0065. [PMID: 24829281 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 350] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Co-culture techniques find myriad applications in biology for studying natural or synthetic interactions between cell populations. Such techniques are of great importance in synthetic biology, as multi-species cell consortia and other natural or synthetic ecology systems are widely seen to hold enormous potential for foundational research as well as novel industrial, medical and environmental applications with many proof-of-principle studies in recent years. What is needed for co-cultures to fulfil their potential? Cell-cell interactions in co-cultures are strongly influenced by the extracellular environment, which is determined by the experimental set-up, which therefore needs to be given careful consideration. An overview of existing experimental and theoretical co-culture set-ups in synthetic biology and adjacent fields is given here, and challenges and opportunities involved in such experiments are discussed. Greater focus on foundational technology developments for co-cultures is needed for many synthetic biology systems to realize their potential in both applications and answering biological questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Goers
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Paul Freemont
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Karen M Polizzi
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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31
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Modulating the frequency and bias of stochastic switching to control phenotypic variation. Nat Commun 2014; 5:4574. [PMID: 25087841 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms that control cell-to-cell variation in gene expression ('phenotypic variation') can determine a population's growth rate, robustness, adaptability and capacity for complex behaviours. Here we describe a general strategy (termed FABMOS) for tuning the phenotypic variation and mean expression of cell populations by modulating the frequency and bias of stochastic transitions between 'OFF' and 'ON' expression states of a genetic switch. We validated the strategy experimentally using a synthetic fim switch in Escherichia coli. Modulating the frequency of switching can generate a bimodal (low frequency) or a unimodal (high frequency) population distribution with the same mean expression. Modulating the bias as well as the frequency of switching can generate a spectrum of bimodal and unimodal distributions with the same mean expression. This remarkable control over phenotypic variation, which cannot be easily achieved with standard gene regulatory mechanisms, has many potential applications for synthetic biology, engineered microbial ecosystems and experimental evolution.
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Grosskopf T, Soyer OS. Synthetic microbial communities. Curr Opin Microbiol 2014; 18:72-7. [PMID: 24632350 PMCID: PMC4005913 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2014.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Revised: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Microbial interactions and system function are two ways to study communities. Natural microbial communities are difficult to define and to study. Synthetic microbial communities are comprehensible systems of reduced complexity. Synthetic communities keep key features of natural ones and are amenable to modelling. Synthetic microbial communities are gaining importance in biotechnology.
While natural microbial communities are composed of a mix of microbes with often unknown functions, the construction of synthetic microbial communities allows for the generation of defined systems with reduced complexity. Used in a top-down approach, synthetic communities serve as model systems to ask questions about the performance and stability of microbial communities. In a second, bottom-up approach, synthetic microbial communities are used to study which conditions are necessary to generate interaction patterns like symbiosis or competition, and how higher order community structure can emerge from these. Besides their obvious value as model systems to understand the structure, function and evolution of microbial communities as complex dynamical systems, synthetic communities can also open up new avenues for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Orkun S Soyer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
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Programmed Allee effect in bacteria causes a tradeoff between population spread and survival. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:1969-74. [PMID: 24449896 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1315954111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersal is necessary for spread into new habitats, but it has also been shown to inhibit spread. Theoretical studies have suggested that the presence of a strong Allee effect may account for these counterintuitive observations. Experimental demonstration of this notion is lacking due to the difficulty in quantitative analysis of such phenomena in a natural setting. We engineered Escherichia coli to exhibit a strong Allee effect and examined how the Allee effect would affect the spread of the engineered bacteria. We showed that the Allee effect led to a biphasic dependence of bacterial spread on the dispersal rate: spread is promoted for intermediate dispersal rates but inhibited at low or high dispersal rates. The shape of this dependence is contingent upon the initial density of the source population. Moreover, the Allee effect led to a tradeoff between effectiveness of population spread and survival: increasing the number of target patches during dispersal allows more effective spread, but it simultaneously increases the risk of failing to invade or of going extinct. We also observed that total population growth is transiently maximized at an intermediate number of target patches. Finally, we demonstrate that fluctuations in cell growth may contribute to the paradoxical relationship between dispersal and spread. Our results provide direct experimental evidence that the Allee effect can explain the apparently paradoxical effects of dispersal on spread and have implications for guiding the spread of cooperative organisms.
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Transcriptome analysis of a microbial coculture in which the cell populations are separated by a membrane. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1151:151-64. [PMID: 24838885 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0554-6_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The microbial coculture of multiple cell populations is used to study community evolution and for bioengineering applications. The cells in coculture undergo dynamic changes because of cell-cell and cell-environment interactions. Transcriptome analysis allows us to study the molecular basis of these changes in cell physiology. For transcriptome analysis, it is essential that the cell populations in the coculture are harvested separately. Here, we describe a method for transcriptome analysis of a microbial coculture in which two different cell populations are separated by a porous membrane.
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De Roy K, Marzorati M, Van den Abbeele P, Van de Wiele T, Boon N. Synthetic microbial ecosystems: an exciting tool to understand and apply microbial communities. Environ Microbiol 2013; 16:1472-81. [PMID: 24274586 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Many microbial ecologists have described the composition of microbial communities in a plenitude of environments, which has greatly improved our basic understanding of microorganisms and ecosystems. However, the factors and processes that influence the behaviour and functionality of an ecosystem largely remain black boxes when using conventional approaches. Therefore, synthetic microbial ecology has gained a lot of interest in the last few years. Because of their reduced complexity and increased controllability, synthetic communities are often preferred over complex communities to examine ecological theories. They limit the factors that influence the microbial community to a minimum, allowing their management and identifying specific community responses. However, besides their use for basic research, synthetic ecosystems also found their way towards different applications, like industrial fermentation and bioremediation. Here, we review why and how synthetic microbial communities are applied for research purposes and for which applications they have been and could be successfully used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen De Roy
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
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Ortiz-Marquez JCF, Do Nascimento M, Zehr JP, Curatti L. Genetic engineering of multispecies microbial cell factories as an alternative for bioenergy production. Trends Biotechnol 2013; 31:521-9. [PMID: 23791304 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2013.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2013] [Revised: 05/20/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
There is currently much interest in developing technology to use microlgae or cyanobacteria for the production of bioenergy and biomaterials. Here, we summarize some remarkable achievements in strains improvement by traditional genetic engineering and discuss common drawbacks for further progress. We present general knowledge on natural microalgal-bacterial mutualistic interactions and discuss the potential of recent developments in genetic engineering of multispecies microbial cell factories. This synthetic biology approach would rely on the assembly of complex metabolic networks from optimized metabolic modules such as photosynthetic or nitrogen-fixing parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Cesar Federico Ortiz-Marquez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Kubo I, Hosoda K, Suzuki S, Yamamoto K, Kihara K, Mori K, Yomo T. Construction of bacteria-eukaryote synthetic mutualism. Biosystems 2013; 113:66-71. [PMID: 23711432 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2013.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2013] [Revised: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Mutualism is ubiquitous in nature but is known to be intrinsically vulnerable with regard to both population dynamics and evolution. Synthetic ecology has indicated that it is feasible for organisms to establish novel mutualism merely through encountering each other by showing that it is feasible to construct synthetic mutualism between organisms. However, bacteria-eukaryote mutualism, which is ecologically important, has not yet been constructed. In this study, we synthetically constructed mutualism between a bacterium and a eukaryote by using two model organisms. We mixed a bacterium, Escherichia coli (a genetically engineered glutamine auxotroph), and an amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, in 14 sets of conditions in which each species could not grow in monoculture but potentially could grow in coculture. Under a single condition in which the bacterium and amoeba mutually compensated for the lack of required nutrients (lipoic acid and glutamine, respectively), both species grew continuously through several subcultures, essentially establishing mutualism. Our results shed light on the establishment of bacteria-eukaryote mutualism and indicate that a bacterium and eukaryote pair in nature also has a non-negligible possibility of establishing novel mutualism if the organisms are potentially mutualistic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isao Kubo
- Department of Bioinformatic Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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Riccione KA, Smith RP, Lee AJ, You L. A synthetic biology approach to understanding cellular information processing. ACS Synth Biol 2012; 1:389-402. [PMID: 23411668 PMCID: PMC3568971 DOI: 10.1021/sb300044r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The survival of cells and organisms requires proper responses to environmental signals. These responses are governed by cellular networks, which serve to process diverse environmental cues. Biological networks often contain recurring network topologies called "motifs". It has been recognized that the study of such motifs allows one to predict the response of a biological network and thus cellular behavior. However, studying a single motif in complete isolation of all other network motifs in a natural setting is difficult. Synthetic biology has emerged as a powerful approach to understanding the dynamic properties of network motifs. In addition to testing existing theoretical predictions, construction and analysis of synthetic gene circuits has led to the discovery of novel motif dynamics, such as how the combination of simple motifs can lead to autonomous dynamics or how noise in transcription and translation can affect the dynamics of a motif. Here, we review developments in synthetic biology as they pertain to increasing our understanding of cellular information processing. We highlight several types of dynamic behaviors that diverse motifs can generate, including the control of input/output responses, the generation of autonomous spatial and temporal dynamics, as well as the influence of noise in motif dynamics and cellular behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert P Smith
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Anna J Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Lingchong You
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Center for Systems Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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Biliouris K, Babson D, Schmidt-Dannert C, Kaznessis YN. Stochastic simulations of a synthetic bacteria-yeast ecosystem. BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2012; 6:58. [PMID: 22672814 PMCID: PMC3485176 DOI: 10.1186/1752-0509-6-58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The field of synthetic biology has greatly evolved and numerous functions can now be implemented by artificially engineered cells carrying the appropriate genetic information. However, in order for the cells to robustly perform complex or multiple tasks, co-operation between them may be necessary. Therefore, various synthetic biological systems whose functionality requires cell-cell communication are being designed. These systems, microbial consortia, are composed of engineered cells and exhibit a wide range of behaviors. These include yeast cells whose growth is dependent on one another, or bacteria that kill or rescue each other, synchronize, behave as predator-prey ecosystems or invade cancer cells. RESULTS In this paper, we study a synthetic ecosystem comprising of bacteria and yeast that communicate with and benefit from each other using small diffusible molecules. We explore the behavior of this heterogeneous microbial consortium, composed of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli cells, using stochastic modeling. The stochastic model captures the relevant intra-cellular and inter-cellular interactions taking place in and between the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Integration of well-characterized molecular regulatory elements into these two microbes allows for communication through quorum sensing. A gene controlling growth in yeast is induced by bacteria via chemical signals and vice versa. Interesting dynamics that are common in natural ecosystems, such as obligatory and facultative mutualism, extinction, commensalism and predator-prey like dynamics are observed. We investigate and report on the conditions under which the two species can successfully communicate and rescue each other. CONCLUSIONS This study explores the various behaviors exhibited by the cohabitation of engineered yeast and bacterial cells. The way that the model is built allows for studying the dynamics of any system consisting of two species communicating with one another via chemical signals. Therefore, key information acquired by our model may potentially drive the experimental design of various synthetic heterogeneous ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Biliouris
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - David Babson
- University of Minnesota Biotechnology Institute, 140 Gortner Lab, 1479 Gortner Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Claudia Schmidt-Dannert
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 140 Gortner Laboratory, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Yiannis N Kaznessis
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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