title: Engineering control of bacterial cellulose production using a genetic toolkit and a new cellulose-producing strain.
abstract: Bacterial cellulose is a strong and ultrapure form of cellulose produced naturally by several species of the Acetobacteraceae Its high strength, purity, and biocompatibility make it of great interest to materials science; however, precise control of its biosynthesis has remained a challenge for biotechnology. Here we isolate a strain of Komagataeibacter rhaeticus (K. rhaeticus iGEM) that can produce cellulose at high yields, grow in low-nitrogen conditions, and is highly resistant to toxic chemicals. We achieved external control over its bacterial cellulose production through development of a modular genetic toolkit that enables rational reprogramming of the cell. To further its use as an organism for biotechnology, we sequenced its genome and demonstrate genetic circuits that enable functionalization and patterning of heterologous gene expression within the cellulose matrix. This work lays the foundations for using genetic engineering to produce cellulose-based materials, with numerous applications in basic science, materials engineering, and biotechnology.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Florea
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hagemann
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santosa
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics Support Service, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Centre for Integrative Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: James
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7701-4249
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Chris N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Micklem
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Xenia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Spencer-Milnes
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Arroyo Garcia
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Despoina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paschou
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lazenbatt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Deze
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Haroon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chughtai
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Freemont
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kitney
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reeve
authors.affiliation: Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; t.ellis@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D006093:Gram-Positive Asporogenous Rods / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D060847:Metabolic Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose
keywords: bacterial cellulose; biomaterials; genetic engineering; genomics; synthetic biology