(85f) Engineering Modular Photosynthetic Microbial Consortia for Sustainable Biochemical Production

Engineering of synthetic microbial consortia has emerged as a new and powerful biotechnology platform. In this work, we design and engineer a modular system in which three microbes of differentiated specializations can convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and atmospheric nitrogen into valuable biochemicals. Specifically, we employ genetically modified strains of photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus, able to secrete sucrose, and of bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii, able to fix nitrogen and secrete ammonia, to form a symbiotic chassis to support a third producer microbe. This framework offers a novel opportunity for production of a wide range of biomolecules without energetically or monetarily expensive nutrient inputs and provides an attractive and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel analogues. We demonstrate supported growth for a number of industrially relevant microorganisms. In addition, we develop a mathematical model to capture essential characteristics of this engineered ecosystem and use it to guide its optimization.