Engineering consortia by polymeric microbial swarmbots

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 and Zhuojun Dai ()
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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

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31467-1

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