Single strain control of microbial consortia

Nat Commun. 2021 Mar 30;12(1):1977. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22240-x.

Abstract

The scope of bioengineering is expanding from the creation of single strains to the design of microbial communities, allowing for division-of-labour, specialised sub-populations and interaction with "wild" microbiomes. However, in the absence of stabilising interactions, competition between microbes inevitably leads to the removal of less fit community members over time. Here, we leverage amensalism and competitive exclusion to stabilise a two-strain community by engineering a strain of Escherichia coli which secretes a toxin in response to competition. We show experimentally and mathematically that such a system can produce stable populations with a composition that is tunable by easily controllable parameters. This system creates a tunable, stable two-strain consortia while only requiring the engineering of a single strain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacteriocins / metabolism
  • Bioengineering / methods*
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Escherichia coli / physiology*
  • Microbial Consortia / physiology*
  • Microbial Interactions / physiology*
  • Microbiota / physiology*
  • Models, Biological

Substances

  • Bacteriocins