Engineering living bio-hybrid materials for sustainable l-threonine production

Living materials integrating microorganisms and functional matrices have emerged as a promising platform for sustainable biomanufacturing and environmental applications. However, precise control of cell-material interactions remains challenging. Here, we developed an engineered Escherichia coli strain (THR007) displaying the lectin protein FimH, which specifically recognizes Mannose ligand on a mannose-functionalized composite carrier (CF+PEI+MM). This engineered living bio-hybrid material establishes directional and reversible adhesion via FimH-methyl-α-d-mannopyranoside recognition, enabling compact biofilm formation and selective, reusable cell-material assembly. During continuous l-threonine fermentation, this system increased production by 22.15 % and shortened the fermentation time by 5 h. This study provides a generalizable strategy for constructing programmable living materials that couple molecular recognition with microbial activity, paving the way for sustainable biomanufacturing and continuous fermentation.