Engineered bacterial swarm patterns as spatial records of environmental inputs.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Synthetic Biology
• Bioengineering

Background:

• Bacteria exhibit swarming motility, a coordinated movement enabling pattern formation on surfaces.
• Engineering bacterial swarming offers potential for large-scale, robust synthetic microbial systems.
• Proteus mirabilis naturally forms bullseye swarm patterns, making it a candidate for pattern engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer Proteus mirabilis to record external inputs as visible spatial patterns.
• To develop methods for decoding these bacterial-written records.
• To create bacterial recorders capable of sensing and recording environmental changes.

Main Methods:

• Engineered tunable expression of swarming-related genes in Proteus mirabilis.
• Developed quantitative decoding approaches using deep classification and segmentation models.
• Created a dual-input system to modulate two genes simultaneously.
• Engineered a strain to detect and record aqueous copper presence.

Main Results:

• Modified bacterial swarm patterns to visually represent external inputs.
• Successfully decoded complex patterns generated by dynamic environmental changes.
• Demonstrated the ability of engineered bacteria to record the presence of copper ions.
• Established a framework for engineering emergent microbial behaviors for recording purposes.

Conclusions:

• Engineered bacteria can serve as macroscale recorders, translating environmental signals into visible patterns.
• This approach expands the possibilities for synthetic microbial systems and biosensing applications.
• The developed methods provide a foundation for creating more sophisticated bacterial recording devices.