In Silico Metabolic Design of Two‐Strain Biofilm Systems Predicts Enhanced Biomass Production and Biochemical Synthesis. Issue 7 (20th May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Patel, Ayushi; Carlson, Ross P.; Henson, Michael A.
• Is Part Of: Biotechnology journal. Volume 14:Issue 7(2019)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2019-05-20
• Subjects: engineered biofilms -- Escherichia coli -- Geobacter -- isobutanol production -- metabolic modeling -- microbial communities; Biotechnology -- Periodicals; 660.605
• DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800511
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1860-6768

Abstract

Abstract : Engineered biofilm consortia have the potential to solve important biotechnological problems that have proved difficult for monoculture biofilms and planktonic consortia, such as conversion of lignocellulosic material to useful biochemicals. While considerable experimental progress has been reported for engineering and characterizing biofilm consortia, the field still lacks in silico tools for simulation, design, and optimization of stable, robust, and productive designed consortia. We developed biofilm consortia metabolic models for two coculture systems centered around the ecological design motif of a primary cell type that utilizes a supplied electron donor and secretes acetate as a byproduct and a secondary cell type that consumes the acetate, relieving byproduct inhibition on the primary cell type and enhancing overall system biomass. The models presented in this paper predict that distinct metabolic niches for the two cell types could be established by supplying electron donors and acceptors at opposite ends of the biofilm and that acetate consumption by the secondary cell type could increase total biomass accumulation and the synthesis of valuable biochemicals, such as isobutanol, by the primary cell type. System tunability is enhanced when each cell type is supplied with a unique terminal electron acceptor at opposite ends of the biofilm rather than competing for a common electron acceptor. Our model provides good qualitative agreement with data for a synthetic Escherichia coli coculture system, suggesting that the proposed design rules may have wide applicability to engineered biofilm consortia. Abstract : Metabolic engineering of microbial cells is commonly used to increase the synthesis of desired metabolites that serve as fuels and chemicals and to decrease the synthesis of undesired metabolites that waste carbon and/or inhibit cellular growth. The effectiveness of this approach can be limited by the metabolic burden placed on the cell by the need to engineer multiple functionalities. This work explores the use of metabolic modeling to assess the effectiveness of a common ecological motif where a secondary cell type consumes an inhibitory metabolic byproduct synthesized by a primary cell type to allow enhanced biomass production and biochemical synthesis.