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Compartmentalized microbes and co-cultures in hydrogels for on-demand bioproduction and preservation

Author

Listed:
  • Trevor G. Johnston

    (University of Washington)

  • Shuo-Fu Yuan

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • James M. Wagner

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Xiunan Yi

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Abhijit Saha

    (University of Washington)

  • Patrick Smith

    (University of Washington)

  • Alshakim Nelson

    (University of Washington)

  • Hal S. Alper

    (The University of Texas at Austin
    The University of Texas at Austin)

Abstract

Most mono- and co-culture bioprocess applications rely on large-scale suspension fermentation technologies that are not easily portable, reusable, or suitable for on-demand production. Here, we describe a hydrogel system for harnessing the bioactivity of embedded microbes for on-demand small molecule and peptide production in microbial mono-culture and consortia. This platform bypasses the challenges of engineering a multi-organism consortia by utilizing a temperature-responsive, shear-thinning hydrogel to compartmentalize organisms into polymeric hydrogels that control the final consortium composition and dynamics without the need for synthetic control of mutualism. We demonstrate that these hydrogels provide protection from preservation techniques (including lyophilization) and can sustain metabolic function for over 1 year of repeated use. This approach was utilized for the production of four chemical compounds, a peptide antibiotic, and carbohydrate catabolism by using either mono-cultures or co-cultures. The printed microbe-laden hydrogel constructs’ efficiency in repeated production phases, both pre- and post-preservation, outperforms liquid culture.

Suggested Citation

  • Trevor G. Johnston & Shuo-Fu Yuan & James M. Wagner & Xiunan Yi & Abhijit Saha & Patrick Smith & Alshakim Nelson & Hal S. Alper, 2020. "Compartmentalized microbes and co-cultures in hydrogels for on-demand bioproduction and preservation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-14371-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14371-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Sierra M. Brooks & Celeste Marsan & Kevin B. Reed & Shuo-Fu Yuan & Dustin-Dat Nguyen & Adit Trivedi & Gokce Altin-Yavuzarslan & Nathan Ballinger & Alshakim Nelson & Hal S. Alper, 2023. "A tripartite microbial co-culture system for de novo biosynthesis of diverse plant phenylpropanoids," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Yangteng Ou & Shixiang Cao & Yang Zhang & Hongjia Zhu & Chengzhi Guo & Wei Yan & Fengxue Xin & Weiliang Dong & Yanli Zhang & Masashi Narita & Ziyi Yu & Tuomas P. J. Knowles, 2023. "Bioprinting microporous functional living materials from protein-based core-shell microgels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.

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