Engineering Microbial Consortia as Living Materials: Advances and Prospectives

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Synthetic Biology
• Microbial Ecology

Background:

• Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) integrate living organisms with biomaterials for novel applications.
• Multiorganism microbial consortia offer enhanced functionalities beyond single engineered strains.
• Current ELMs based on microbial consortia are in early developmental stages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review strategies for designing microbial consortia-based Engineered Living Materials (ELMs).
• To summarize enabling synthetic biology technologies for microbial consortia engineering.
• To discuss challenges and future directions in the field of microbial consortia ELMs.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of a top-down design strategy: characterizing and reconstructing natural microbial ecosystems.
• Introduction of a bottom-up design strategy: rational design and assembly of synthetic consortia with material substrates.
• Review of synthetic biology tools for engineering complex microbial consortia functions.

Main Results:

• Two distinct design strategies (top-down and bottom-up) are presented for microbial consortia ELMs.
• Synthetic biology tools significantly enhance the capabilities of microbial consortia for complex tasks.
• The review consolidates current knowledge and identifies key areas for advancement.

Conclusions:

• Microbial consortia represent a promising frontier for advanced Engineered Living Materials.
• Strategic design approaches and synthetic biology are crucial for realizing the potential of these materials.
• Addressing current challenges is essential for the future development and application of consortia-based ELMs.