Microbiologia Médica e Diagnóstico

BioH2 production in a synthetic bacterial consortium: How QS molecules control interactions between bacterial species with concomitant changes in the distribution of metabolic fluxes

Abstract

Marie Therese Giudici-Orticoni, David Ranava and Cassandra Backes

Formation of multi-species communities allows nearly every niche on earth to be colonized. Exchange of molecular information among neighbouring bacteria in such communities is crucial for the bacteria to thrive. Yet the principles controlling these inter-species interactions are poorly defined. To shed light on them, we developed a synthetic microbial consortium with two anaerobic bacteria, Clostridium acetobutylicum and Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. these 2 bacterai can be found together in Nature involved in anaerobic digestion of organic waste matter nd in consequence in BIO-H2 production. Our studies demonstrate that for cell-cell interaction can allow to overcome nutrient starvation and that many materials can passed from one cell to another. This physical interaction induces changes in the distribution of metabolic fluxes and allows a substantial increase in H2 production without requiring genetic engineering. We identify that the agent necessary for these physical interactions between C. acetobutylicum and D. vulgaris (or E. coli and D. vulgaris), with the consequent metabolic exchanges, is the quorum-sensing molecule.