title: Engineering microbial consortia for controllable outputs.
abstract: Much research has been invested into engineering microorganisms to perform desired biotransformations; nonetheless, these efforts frequently fall short of expected results due to the unforeseen effects of biofeedback regulation and functional incompatibility. In nature, metabolic function is compartmentalized into diverse organisms assembled into robust consortia, in which the division of labor is thought to lead to increased community efficiency and productivity. Here we consider whether and how consortia can be designed to perform bioprocesses of interest beyond the metabolic flexibility limitations of a single organism. Advances in post-genomic analysis of microbial consortia and application of high-resolution global measurements now offer the promise of systems-level understanding of how microbial consortia adapt to changes in environmental variables and inputs of carbon and energy. We argue that, when combined with appropriate modeling frameworks, systems-level knowledge can markedly improve our ability to predict the fate and functioning of consortia. Here we articulate our collective perspective on the current and future state of microbial community engineering and control while placing specific emphasis on ecological principles that promote control over community function and emergent properties.
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lindemann
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Hans C
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2913-7708
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Hyun-Seob
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Jim K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Fredrickson
authors.affiliation: Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9053-1849
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.affiliation: Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Wenying
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shou
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ), Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Beliaev
mesh_terms: D057005:Bioengineering / Q000379:methods*; D023281:Genomics; D059013:Microbial Consortia