Microbial metabolomics in open microscale platforms

Layla J. Barkal, Ashleigh B. Theberge, Chun-Jun Guo, Joe Spraker, Lucas Rappert, Jean Berthier, Kenneth A. Brakke, Clay C. C. Wang, David J. Beebe, Nancy P. Keller and Erwin Berthier ()
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Layla J. Barkal: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ashleigh B. Theberge: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chun-Jun Guo: University of Southern California
Joe Spraker: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Lucas Rappert: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jean Berthier: CEA-University Grenoble-Alpes
Kenneth A. Brakke: Susquehanna University
Clay C. C. Wang: University of Southern California
David J. Beebe: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Nancy P. Keller: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Erwin Berthier: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The microbial secondary metabolome encompasses great synthetic diversity, empowering microbes to tune their chemical responses to changing microenvironments. Traditional metabolomics methods are ill-equipped to probe a wide variety of environments or environmental dynamics. Here we introduce a class of microscale culture platforms to analyse chemical diversity of fungal and bacterial secondary metabolomes. By leveraging stable biphasic interfaces to integrate microculture with small molecule isolation via liquid–liquid extraction, we enable metabolomics-scale analysis using mass spectrometry. This platform facilitates exploration of culture microenvironments (including rare media typically inaccessible using established methods), unusual organic solvents for metabolite isolation and microbial mutants. Utilizing Aspergillus, a fungal genus known for its rich secondary metabolism, we characterize the effects of culture geometry and growth matrix on secondary metabolism, highlighting the potential use of microscale systems to unlock unknown or cryptic secondary metabolites for natural products discovery. Finally, we demonstrate the potential for this class of microfluidic systems to study interkingdom communication between fungi and bacteria.

Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms10610

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10610

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