Metabolic Engineering: Tianjin University's research team proposes a new plan for metabolic regulation of the synthetic microbiome

Editor in charge: Food Science

The phenomenon that microorganisms sense population density and regulate their own gene expression and group behavior is called quorum sensing (QS, quorum sensing)

Recently, the research team of Tianjin University published a research result entitled "Combinational quorum sensing devices for dynamic control in cross-feeding cocultivation" in Metabolic Engineering , taking the microbiome of isopropanol and salidroside as examples, and modeling and analysis using mathematical methods Multiple quorum sensing systems have designed a quorum sensing-based microbial co-cultivation and metabolic regulation program

This research applies the quorum sensing system to the co-cultivation strategy optimization and metabolic control of the synthetic microbiome, providing a new idea for the optimization and transformation of the synthetic microbiome

Abstract original

Combinational quorum sensing devices for dynamic control in cross-feeding cocultivationShengbo Wu, Yanting Xue, Shujuan Yang, Chengyang Xu, Chunjiang Liu, Xue Liu, Jiaheng Liu, Hongji Zhu, Guang-Rong Zhao, Aidong Yang, Jianjun QiaoAbstract
Quorum sensing (QS) offers cell density dependent dynamic regulations in cell culture through devices such as synchronized lysis circuit (SLC) and metabolic toggle switch (MTS).
However, there is still a lack of studies on cocultivation with a combination of different QS- based devices.
Taking the production of isopropanol and salidroside as case studies, we have mathematically modeled a comprehensive set of QS-regulated cocultivation schemes and constructed experimental combinations of QS devices, respectively, to evaluate their feasibility and optimality for regulating growth competition and corporative production .
Glucose split ratio is proposed for the analysis of competition between cell growth and targeted production.
Results show that the combination of different QS devices across multiple members offers a new tool with the potential to effectively coordinate synthetic microbial consortia for achieving high product titer in cross-feeding cocultivation.
It is also evident that the performance of such systems is significantly affected by dynamic characteristics of chosen QS devices, carbon source control and the operational settings.
This study offers insights for future applications of combinational QS devices in synthetic microbial consortia.
This study offers insights for future applications of combinational QS devices in synthetic microbial consortia.
This study offers insights for future applications of combinational QS devices in synthetic microbial consortia.