scholarly journals Spatiotemporal dynamics of synthetic microbial consortia in microfluidic devices

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Razan N. Alnahhas ◽  
James J. Winkle ◽  
Andrew J. Hirning ◽  
Bhargav Karamched ◽  
William Ott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Spatiotemporal Dynamics ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Intercellular Signaling ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Trap Size ◽  
Different Strains ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Consortia

AbstractSynthetic microbial consortia consist of two or more engineered strains that grow together and share the same resources. When intercellular signaling pathways are included in the engineered strains, close proximity of the microbes can generate complex dynamic behaviors that are difficult to obtain using a single strain. However, when a consortium is not cultured in a well-mixed environment the constituent strains passively compete for space as they grow and divide, complicating cell-cell signaling. Here, we explore the temporal dynamics of the spatial distribution of consortia co-cultured in microfluidic devices. To do this, we grew two different strains ofEscherichia coliin microfluidic devices with cell-trapping regions (traps) of several different designs. We found that the size and shape of the traps are critical determinants of spatiotemporal dynamics. In small traps, cells can easily signal one another but the relative proportion of each strain within the trap can fluctuate wildly. In large traps, the relative ratio of strains is stabilized, but intercellular signaling can be hindered by distances between cells. This presents a trade-off between the trap size and the effectiveness of intercellular signaling, which can be mitigated by controlling the initial seeding of cells in the large trap. These results show how synthetic microbial consortia behave in microfluidic traps and provide a method to help remedy the spatial heterogeneity inherent to different trap geometries.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Synthetic Microbial Consortia in Microfluidic Devices

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 2051-2058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Razan N. Alnahhas ◽  
James J. Winkle ◽  
Andrew J. Hirning ◽  
Bhargav Karamched ◽  
William Ott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Spatiotemporal Dynamics ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Consortia

scholarly journals Designing microbial communities to maximize the thermodynamic driving force for the production of chemicals

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. e1009093
Author(s):  
Pavlos Stephanos Bekiaris ◽  
Steffen Klamt
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Biotechnological Applications ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Metabolic Burden ◽  
Thermodynamic Driving Force ◽  
Different Strains

Microbial communities have become a major research focus due to their importance for biogeochemical cycles, biomedicine and biotechnological applications. While some biotechnological applications, such as anaerobic digestion, make use of naturally arising microbial communities, the rational design of microbial consortia for bio-based production processes has recently gained much interest. One class of synthetic microbial consortia is based on specifically designed strains of one species. A common design principle for these consortia is based on division of labor, where the entire production pathway is divided between the different strains to reduce the metabolic burden caused by product synthesis. We first show that classical division of labor does not automatically reduce the metabolic burden when metabolic flux per biomass is analyzed. We then present ASTHERISC (Algorithmic Search of THERmodynamic advantages in Single-species Communities), a new computational approach for designing multi-strain communities of a single-species with the aim to divide a production pathway between different strains such that the thermodynamic driving force for product synthesis is maximized. ASTHERISC exploits the fact that compartmentalization of segments of a product pathway in different strains can circumvent thermodynamic bottlenecks arising when operation of one reaction requires a metabolite with high and operation of another reaction the same metabolite with low concentration. We implemented the ASTHERISC algorithm in a dedicated program package and applied it on E. coli core and genome-scale models with different settings, for example, regarding number of strains or demanded product yield. These calculations showed that, for each scenario, many target metabolites (products) exist where a multi-strain community can provide a thermodynamic advantage compared to a single strain solution. In some cases, a production with sufficiently high yield is thermodynamically only feasible with a community. In summary, the developed ASTHERISC approach provides a promising new principle for designing microbial communities for the bio-based production of chemicals.

scholarly journals Annulment of antagonism shifts properties that are beneficial to plants in two-member consortia of Bacillus velezensis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahui Shao ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Jiyu Xie ◽  
Polonca Štefanič ◽  
Yu Lv ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Level Function ◽  
Bacillus Spp ◽  
And Function ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Consortia ◽  
Bacillus Strains

Bacillus spp. strains that are beneficial to plants are widely used in commercial biofertilizers and biocontrol agents for sustainable agriculture. Generally, functional Bacillus strains are applied as single strain communities since the principles of synthetic microbial consortia constructed with Bacillus strains remain largely unclear. Here, we demonstrated that the mutual compatibility directly affects the survival and function of two-member consortia composed of B. velezensis SQR9 and FZB42 in the rhizosphere. A mutation in the global regulator Spo0A of SQR9 markedly reduced the boundary phenotype with wild-type FZB42, and the combined use of the SQR9Δspo0A mutant and FZB42 improved biofilm formation, root colonization and the production of secondary metabolites that are beneficial to plants. We further confirmed the correlation between the swarm discrimination phenotype between the two consortia members and the effects that are beneficial to plants in a greenhouse experiment. Our results provide evidence that social interactions among bacteria could be an influencing factor in achieving a desired community-level function.

Survival of strains of lactic streptococci during frozen storage

1965 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Gibson ◽  
G. B. Landerkin ◽  
Pamela M. Morse
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Storage Time ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Frozen Storage ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Streptococcus Cremoris ◽  
Lower Temperature ◽  
Different Strains ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Storage Temperatures

SummarySixteen single-strain cultures, 10 ofStreptococcus cremoris, 3 ofStr. lactisand 3 ofStr. diacetilactiswere examined for their ability to withstand freezing and storage at –17·8 and –23·3°C. The numbers of surviving bacteria decreased as storage time increased. For the majority of strains, the survival rate was greater at the lower temperature. At both storage temperatures there were differences between the percentages of surviving bacteria for different strains.The results suggest that the relative proportion of strains in mixed cultures would not remain constant under frozen storage.

ASSESSMENT OF THE SPATIOTEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF THE MACROPHYTE THICKET ECOSYSTEMS IN THE NEVA BAY AND THE ADJACENT WATERS OF THE EASTERN GULF OF FINLAND

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Maksimova ◽  
Ekaterina Maksimova ◽  
Vladimir Zhigulsky ◽  
Vladimir Zhigulsky ◽  
Vladimir Shuisky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Spatiotemporal Dynamics ◽  
Gulf Of Finland ◽  
Active Growth ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Neva Bay

The macrophyte thicket ecosystems of higher aquatic vegetation in the Neva Bay (NB) and Eastern Gulf of Finland (EGoF) perform many important roles, including acting as the habitats, nesting sites and migration sites for aquatic and semi-aquatic birds, creating the specific conditions necessary for the spawning and growth of many species of fish, and taking part in the self-purification of the aquatic ecosystems. Many anthropogenic disturbances, hydraulic works in particular, have a significant negative impact on these macrophyte thicket ecosystems. In recent years, the active growth of a new type of macrophyte thicket has been observed in the NB. This is due to the aftereffects of the construction of the Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex (FPFC). It is quite likely that the total macrophyte thicket area in these waters is currently increasing. In the future, it will be necessary to assess the environmental impacts of the hydraulic works on the macrophyte thicket of the NB and EGoF, taking into account the background processes of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the reed beds in the waters in question. To do this, it will be necessary to carry out a comprehensive study of these ecosystems and identify patterns in their spatial and temporal dynamics. The program of the study has been developed and is currently being implemented by Eco-Express-Service, a St. Petersburg eco-design company.

Effects of Community Versus Single Strain Inoculants on the Biocontrol of Salmonella and Microbial Community Dynamics in Alfalfa Sprouts†

2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANABELLE MATOS ◽  
JAY L. GARLAND
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Acridine Orange Staining ◽  
Physiological Profiles ◽  
Alfalfa Sprouts ◽  
Alfalfa Seeds

Potential biological control inoculants, Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79 and microbial communities derived from market sprouts or laboratory-grown alfalfa sprouts, were introduced into alfalfa seeds with and without a Salmonella inoculum. We examined their ability to inhibit the growth of this foodborne pathogen and assess the relative effects of the inoculants on the alfalfa microbial community structure and function. Alfalfa seeds contaminated with a Salmonella cocktail were soaked for 2 h in bacterial suspensions from each inoculant tested. Inoculated alfalfa seeds were grown for 7 days and sampled during days 1, 3, and 7. At each sampling, alfalfa sprouts were sonicated for 7 min to recover microflora from the surface, and the resulting suspensions were diluted and plated on selective and nonselective media. Total bacterial counts were obtained using acridine orange staining, and the percentage culturability was calculated. Phenotypic potential of sprout-associated microbial communities inoculated with biocontrol treatments was assessed using community-level physiological profiles based on patterns of use of 95 separate carbon sources in Biolog plates. Community-level physiological profiles were also determined using oxygen-sensitive fluorophore in BD microtiter plates to examine functional patterns in these communities. No significant differences in total and mesophilic aerobe microbial cell density or microbial richness resulting from the introduction of inoculants on alfalfa seeds with and without Salmonella were observed. P. fluorescens 2-79 exhibited the greatest reduction in the growth of Salmonella early during alfalfa growth (4.22 log at day 1), while the market sprout inoculum had the reverse effect, resulting in a maximum log reduction (5.48) of Salmonella on day 7. Community-level physiological profiles analyses revealed that market sprout communities peaked higher and faster compared with the other inoculants tested. These results suggest that different modes of actions of single versus microbial consortia biocontrol treatments may be involved.

Characterization of a designed synthetic autotrophic–heterotrophic consortia for fixing CO2 without light

RSC Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (81) ◽  
pp. 78161-78169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiajun Hu ◽  
Yiyun Xue ◽  
Jixiang Li ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Shiping Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Consortia

CO2 fixation efficiency of the devised synthetic microbial consortia with both autotrophic–autotrophic and autotrophic–heterotrophic microbial interactions were higher than the sum of theoretical CO2 fixation efficiency of the microbial components.

Characterization by pyocine typing and serotyping of oral and sputum strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from cystic fibrosis patients

1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunio Komiyama ◽  
Brian F. Habbick ◽  
Tom Martin ◽  
Satwant K. Tumber
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Buccal Mucosa ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Ecological Sites ◽  
Dental Plaques ◽  
Different Strains

Oral and sputum isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis were investigated. Of the 17 patients studied, 12 patients (71%) yielded both mucoid and nonmucoid variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from sputum and (or) various oral ecological sites, such as buccal mucosa, tongue dorsum, dental plaques, and saliva. A total of 51 strains of mucoid and nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from these patients and were phenotypically characterized by both pyocine typing and serotyping. Five patients (42%) were colonized or infected by a single strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whereas 7 patients (58%) were cocolonized or coinfected by two or more phenotypically different strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To understand the mechanisms involved in Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization, it may be necessary to identify multiple isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa not only from the sputum but also from the various oral ecological sites and to further explore the role of the oral cavity in this colonization.

scholarly journals Communication and Collaboration in Synthetic Microbial Consortia

2016 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 11a
Author(s):  
Cynthia H. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Consortia
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document