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

Trevor G. Johnston, Shuo-Fu Yuan, James M. Wagner, Xiunan Yi, Abhijit Saha, Patrick Smith, Alshakim Nelson () and Hal S. Alper ()
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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

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14371-4

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