科研之友
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摘要
Metabolic division of labor (MDOL) represents one ofthe most commonlyoccurring interactions within natural microbial communities. Specifically,in a variety of MDOL systems engaged in hydrocarbon degradation, asequential degradation is performed by several members with finalproducts that are necessary for the growth of each member. In theseMDOL systems, each strain catalyzes one or more specific reactionsof a multistep metabolic pathway, whose end products are then allocatedamong the participants. While the benefit allocation is independentof metabolic flux in well-mixed environments, it remains unclear howthe benefits are allocated when diffusion is limited. Here, we investigatedhow MDOL communities assemble in a diffusion-limited environment,by combining mathematical modeling with experimental inquiry usinga synthetic consortium engaged in MDOL. Our model analysis in a diffusion-limitedenvironment showed that, when the growth of all populations in thecommunity relies on the final product that can only be produced bythe last population, a diffusion gradient of the final products maycreate a bias favoring the member producing the final products, resultingin a higher relative abundance of the final product producer. Moreover,such asymmetric allocation of the final products is enhanced by boththe lower diffusion rate and the higher metabolic flux (i.e., thehigher yields of the final products) in the MDOL. Our results showthat in a diffusively confined environment, metabolic flux constitutesa determining factor in the assembly of the MDOL community. Together,our findings are critical for a better understanding of how resource-sharingmicrobial communities are established and should assist in designingsuch communities for improved biomanufacturing and bioremediation.
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单位y; 北京大学
