IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v13y2022i1d10.1038_s41467-022-31467-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Engineering consortia by polymeric microbial swarmbots

Author

Listed:
  • Lin Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Xi Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Chenwang Tang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Pengcheng Li

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Runtao Zhu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jing Sun

    (Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yunfeng Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Hua Cui

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jiajia Ma

    (Tianjin University)

  • Xinyu Song

    (Tianjin University)

  • Weiwen Zhang

    (Tianjin University)

  • Xiang Gao

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Xiaozhou Luo

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Lingchong You

    (Duke University)

  • Ye Chen

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhuojun Dai

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Synthetic microbial consortia represent a new frontier for synthetic biology given that they can solve more complex problems than monocultures. However, most attempts to co-cultivate these artificial communities fail because of the winner-takes-all in nutrients competition. In soil, multiple species can coexist with a spatial organization. Inspired by nature, here we show that an engineered spatial segregation method can assemble stable consortia with both flexibility and precision. We create microbial swarmbot consortia (MSBC) by encapsulating subpopulations with polymeric microcapsules. The crosslinked structure of microcapsules fences microbes, but allows the transport of small molecules and proteins. MSBC method enables the assembly of various synthetic communities and the precise control over the subpopulations. These capabilities can readily modulate the division of labor and communication. Our work integrates the synthetic biology and material science to offer insights into consortia assembly and serve as foundation to diverse applications from biomanufacturing to engineered photosynthesis.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin Wang & Xi Zhang & Chenwang Tang & Pengcheng Li & Runtao Zhu & Jing Sun & Yunfeng Zhang & Hua Cui & Jiajia Ma & Xinyu Song & Weiwen Zhang & Xiang Gao & Xiaozhou Luo & Lingchong You & Ye Chen & Zhuo, 2022. "Engineering consortia by polymeric microbial swarmbots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-31467-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31467-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31467-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-022-31467-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pei Du & Huiwei Zhao & Haoqian Zhang & Ruisha Wang & Jianyi Huang & Ye Tian & Xudong Luo & Xunxun Luo & Min Wang & Yanhui Xiang & Long Qian & Yihua Chen & Yong Tao & Chunbo Lou, 2020. "De novo design of an intercellular signaling toolbox for multi-channel cell–cell communication and biological computation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Kristina Stephens & Maria Pozo & Chen-Yu Tsao & Pricila Hauk & William E. Bentley, 2019. "Bacterial co-culture with cell signaling translator and growth controller modules for autonomously regulated culture composition," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Eyal Bairey & Eric D. Kelsic & Roy Kishony, 2016. "High-order species interactions shape ecosystem diversity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, November.
    4. Diana M. Shih & Lingjie Gu & Yu-Rong Xia & Mohamad Navab & Wan-Fen Li & Susan Hama & Lawrence W. Castellani & Clement E. Furlong & Lucio G. Costa & Alan M. Fogelman & Aldons J. Lusis, 1998. "Mice lacking serum paraoxonase are susceptible to organophosphate toxicity and atherosclerosis," Nature, Nature, vol. 394(6690), pages 284-287, July.
    5. Zhuojun Dai & Xiaoyu Yang & Feilun Wu & Lihua Wang & Kun Xiang & Pengcheng Li & Qingqing Lv & Jinhui Tang & Anders Dohlman & Lei Dai & Xiling Shen & Lingchong You, 2021. "Living fabrication of functional semi-interpenetrating polymeric materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Nicolas Kylilis & Zoltan A. Tuza & Guy-Bart Stan & Karen M. Polizzi, 2018. "Tools for engineering coordinated system behaviour in synthetic microbial consortia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, December.
    7. Xiaozhou Luo & Michael A. Reiter & Leo d’Espaux & Jeff Wong & Charles M. Denby & Anna Lechner & Yunfeng Zhang & Adrian T. Grzybowski & Simon Harth & Weiyin Lin & Hyunsu Lee & Changhua Yu & John Shin &, 2019. "Complete biosynthesis of cannabinoids and their unnatural analogues in yeast," Nature, Nature, vol. 567(7746), pages 123-126, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gita Naseri, 2023. "A roadmap to establish a comprehensive platform for sustainable manufacturing of natural products in yeast," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brian D. Huang & Dowan Kim & Yongjoon Yu & Corey J. Wilson, 2024. "Engineering intelligent chassis cells via recombinase-based MEMORY circuits," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Chae Won Kang & Hyun Gyu Lim & Jaehyuk Won & Sanghak Cha & Giyoung Shin & Jae-Seong Yang & Jaeyoung Sung & Gyoo Yeol Jung, 2022. "Circuit-guided population acclimation of a synthetic microbial consortium for improved biochemical production," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Xiang Jiao & Xiaozhi Fu & Qishuang Li & Junling Bu & Xiuyu Liu & Otto Savolainen & Luqi Huang & Juan Guo & Jens Nielsen & Yun Chen, 2024. "De novo production of protoberberine and benzophenanthridine alkaloids through metabolic engineering of yeast," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. William M. Shaw & Yunfeng Zhang & Xinyu Lu & Ahmad S. Khalil & Graham Ladds & Xiaozhou Luo & Tom Ellis, 2022. "Screening microbially produced Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol using a yeast biosensor workflow," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Gerrit Ansmann & Tobias Bollenbach, 2021. "Building clone-consistent ecosystem models," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-25, February.
    6. Xianglai Li & Zhao Zhou & Wenna Li & Yajun Yan & Xiaolin Shen & Jia Wang & Xinxiao Sun & Qipeng Yuan, 2022. "Design of stable and self-regulated microbial consortia for chemical synthesis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    7. Anna Zimmermann & Julian E. Prieto-Vivas & Charlotte Cautereels & Anton Gorkovskiy & Jan Steensels & Yves Peer & Kevin J. Verstrepen, 2023. "A Cas3-base editing tool for targetable in vivo mutagenesis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Alicia Sanchez-Gorostiaga & Djordje Bajić & Melisa L Osborne & Juan F Poyatos & Alvaro Sanchez, 2019. "High-order interactions distort the functional landscape of microbial consortia," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(12), pages 1-34, December.
    9. Wenna Li & Zhao Zhou & Xianglai Li & Lin Ma & Qingyuan Guan & Guojun Zheng & Hao Liang & Yajun Yan & Xiaolin Shen & Jia Wang & Xinxiao Sun & Qipeng Yuan, 2022. "Biosynthesis of plant hemostatic dencichine in Escherichia coli," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    10. Ramasamy, Mohanasubha & Devarajan, Subhasri & Kumarasamy, Suresh & Rajagopal, Karthikeyan, 2022. "Effect of higher-order interactions on synchronization of neuron models with electromagnetic induction," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 434(C).
    11. Joaquín Gutiérrez Mena & Sant Kumar & Mustafa Khammash, 2022. "Dynamic cybergenetic control of bacterial co-culture composition via optogenetic feedback," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.
    12. Jack Chun-Ting Liu & Ricardo De La Peña & Christian Tocol & Elizabeth S. Sattely, 2024. "Reconstitution of early paclitaxel biosynthetic network," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    13. 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.
    14. Alice Boo & Tyler Toth & Qiguo Yu & Alexander Pfotenhauer & Brandon D. Fields & Scott C. Lenaghan & C. Neal Stewart & Christopher A. Voigt, 2024. "Synthetic microbe-to-plant communication channels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    15. Dominika Kunachowicz & Milena Ściskalska & Marta Kepinska, 2023. "Modulatory Effect of Lifestyle-Related, Environmental and Genetic Factors on Paraoxonase-1 Activity: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-36, February.
    16. Ines Potočnjak & Vesna Degoricija & Matias Trbušić & Sanda Dokoza Terešak & Bojana Radulović & Gudrun Pregartner & Andrea Berghold & Beate Tiran & Gunther Marsche & Saša Frank, 2016. "Metrics of High-Density Lipoprotein Function and Hospital Mortality in Acute Heart Failure Patients," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-11, June.
    17. John P. Marken & Richard M. Murray, 2023. "Addressable and adaptable intercellular communication via DNA messaging," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    18. Itai Levin & Mengjie Liu & Christopher A. Voigt & Connor W. Coley, 2022. "Merging enzymatic and synthetic chemistry with computational synthesis planning," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    19. González, Cecilia, 2023. "Evolution of the concept of ecological integrity and its study through networks," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 476(C).
    20. Papanikolaou, Nikos & Lambiotte, Renaud & Vaccario, Giacomo, 2023. "Fragmentation from group interactions: A higher-order adaptive voter model," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 630(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-31467-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.