Metabolic modelling approaches for describing and engineering microbial communities.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Systems Biology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Microbes exist in communities, influencing diverse environmental, health, and industrial processes.
• Current biotechnological methods often focus on isolated microbes, limiting community-level applications.
• Engineering microbial communities offers significant potential but faces challenges in traditional laboratory settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compile examples of engineered microbial communities.
• To provide a historical review of computational metabolic modeling methods.
• To facilitate the rational engineering of both wild and synthetic microbial communities.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on engineered microbial communities.
• Historical analysis of computational metabolic modeling techniques.
• Compilation of descriptive and engineering modeling approaches.

Main Results:

• Detailed examples of engineered microbial communities are presented.
• A comprehensive overview of computational metabolic modeling evolution is provided.
• The utility of computational methods for understanding and engineering microbial communities is highlighted.

Conclusions:

• Computational metabolic modeling is a powerful, cost-effective tool for studying and engineering microbial communities.
• This review serves as a resource for researchers aiming to control microbial community outputs.
• Advancements in computational approaches are crucial for harnessing the full potential of microbial consortia.