Scrambling Signal Modularity in Bottom-up Assembled Synthetic Pseudomonas Consortia Reveals Robust Information...

Area of Science:

• Microbial Ecology
• Synthetic Biology
• Bacterial Communication

Background:

• Synthetic microbial communities offer potential in health, agriculture, environment, and biomanufacturing.
• Bacterial signaling is crucial for intercellular information transfer and collective behavior in microbial consortia.
• Complex communication involves multiple signals, disruptors, species, and environmental constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the robustness of molecular information transfer in a synthetic microbial consortium.
• To demonstrate that scrambled signaling pathways can still effectively convey intended messages.
• To provide a framework for designing signaling processes in assembled microbial communities.

Main Methods:

• Assembled a synthetic consortium of several *Pseudomonas* species.
• Utilized two signaling molecules: phloroglucinol (redox-active metabolite) and 3-oxo-C12 acylhomoserine lactone (quorum sensing signal).
• Investigated intraconversion and signal transduction among community members.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that genetic and organizational scrambling of a multisignal pathway did not impede message conveyance.
• Showed that the order of signal reception, transduction, and transmission can be rearranged with minimal impact.
• Found the messaging structure to be remarkably robust within the consortial context.

Conclusions:

• The molecular messaging system in synthetic microbial consortia can be highly resilient to structural changes.
• This work provides a conceptual framework for engineering robust information transfer in synthetic communities.
• Findings are inspired by rhizospheric molecular signaling mechanisms.