Lecture 13. Synthetic Microbial Communities - Engineering communities 2 Flashcards
When can you look for similar bacteria to the one you are studying?
Once you have the 16S
Why is collecting metadata important?
Collect metadata to try and track bacteria movement in communities
How can you see if members of a community can co-exist?
Isolate them
In microbial communities, are there different states?
Indeed functionally distinct ‘states’ seem to exist in complex communities and depend on their species composition
How can you shift a community?
One insight is that high nutrient levels reduce community diversity
How does cross-feeding effect evolution?
One for he things that have emerged is that mutations occur, second type of E. coli emerged and was cross feeding onto the acetate being produced by the original strain
How does metabolic cross-feeding emerge?
Cell metabolism is mainly about maintaining flow of electrons, from an initial donor to a terminal acceptor, through redox reactions
Trade-offs in growth rate on different substrates leads to evolution of specialisation and cross-feeding
When is metabolic syntrophy a necessity?
In the absence of respiration
What are the differences between cross-feeding and syntrophy?
Cross feeding you are producing something for something else Syntrophy you are benefitting yourself
Cross feeding doesn’t care if products are utilised or not, syntrophy you do care
how can metabolic auxotrophies cause systems to collapse?
Some are cheaters, take but don’’ produce, causing systems to collapse
How can cross-feeding auxotrophs outcompete WT?
Through metabolic “division of labour”
What could the syntrophy motif (anaerobic) be used for?
Methane production
What could the auxotrophy motif (aerobic) be used for?
Evolutionary stability
What could the cross-feeding motif (aerobic) be used for?
Bioproduction
What could the reciprocal cross-feeding motif (phototrophic) be used for?
Bioproduction
What is a closed microbial ecosystem?
A complex system without carbon and nitrogen, that produces either carbon and nitrogen (becomes self-sustainable)
What are examples of microbial community engineering used now?
Bespoke waste conversion and bioproduction
Plant supporting minimal communities
Life-support systems for enclosed spaces
