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Ecological firewalls for synthetic biology

ABSTRACT: Summary It has been recently suggested that engineered microbial strains could be used to protect ecosystems from undesirable tipping points and biodiversity loss. A major concern in this context is the potential unintended consequences, which are usually addressed in terms of designed genetic constructs aimed at controlling overproliferation. Here we present and discuss an alternative view grounded in the nonlinear attractor dynamics of some ecological network motifs. These ecological firewalls are designed to perform novel functionalities (such as plastic removal) while containment is achieved within the resident community. That could help provide a self-regulating biocontainment. In this way, engineered organisms have a limited spread while—when required—preventing their extinction. The basic synthetic designs and their dynamical behavior are presented, each one inspired in a given ecological class of interaction. Their possible applications are discussed and the broader connection with invasion ecology outlined. Graphical abstract Highlights • Population control of synthetic strains can be achieved by engineering ecological links• We introduce ecological firewalls, inspired in four types of ecological interactions• Our firewalls are shown to maintain diversity while performing designed functions• Ecological firewalls will help to tackle future bioremediation strategies Mathematical biosciences; Bioengineering; Synthetic biology

SUBMITTER: Vidiella B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9272386 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The metabolic capabilities of microbes are the basis for many major biotechnological advances, exploiting microbial diversity by selection or engineering of single strains. However, there are limits to the advances that can be achieved with single strains, and attention has turned toward the metabolic potential of consortia and the field of synthetic ecology. The main challenge for the synthetic ecology is that consortia are frequently unstable, largely because evolution by constituent members affects their interactions, which are the basis of collective metabolic functionality. Current practices in modeling consortia largely consider interactions as fixed circuits of chemical reactions, which greatly increases their tractability. This simplification comes at the cost of essential biological realism, stripping out the ecological context in which the metabolic actions occur and the potential for evolutionary change. In other words, evolutionary stability is not engineered into the system. This realization highlights the necessity to better identify the key components that influence the stable coexistence of microorganisms. Inclusion of ecological and evolutionary principles, in addition to biophysical variables and stoichiometric modeling of metabolism, is critical for microbial consortia design. This review aims to bring ecological and evolutionary concepts to the discussion on the stability of microbial consortia. In particular, we focus on the combined effect of spatial structure (connectivity of molecules and cells within the system) and ecological interactions (reciprocal and non-reciprocal) on the persistence of microbial consortia. We discuss exemplary cases to illustrate these ideas from published studies in evolutionary biology and biotechnology. We conclude by making clear the relevance of incorporating evolutionary and ecological principles to the design of microbial consortia, as a way of achieving evolutionarily stable and sustainable systems.

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Ecological firewalls for synthetic biology

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