Multichromatic Dynamic Control of Multi-Membered Microbial Consortia Compositions for Chemical Production

Engineered microbial consortia present a promising approach for chemical production by distributing specialized tasks among different bacterial strains. This strategy reduces metabolic strain, enables modular pathway optimization, decreases toxicity, and enhances strain stability. However, disparities in growth rates can destabilize population composition, negatively impacting productivity and limiting the practicality of these systems.

To address this challenge, researchers developed a multichromatic optogenetic Toxin-Antitoxin (optogeneticTA) platform for dynamically controlling Escherichia coli consortia of up to four members using blue, red, and near-infrared light, as well as darkness. By manipulating light intensity or pulse patterns, the team could precisely program and dynamically modulate the composition of two-, three-, and four-membered consortia.

The researchers further constructed a modular mathematical framework to capture and predict population dynamics of these optogenetically controlled co-cultures. Implementing dynamic control on a two-membered engineered consortium led to a 69% increase in phenol production compared to unregulated consortia. These findings establish a programmable platform for stabilizing and optimally managing microbial consortia, with potential applications spanning across microbial biomanufacturing.