College of Engineering
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/27
The College of Engineering at Montana State University will serve the State of Montana and the nation by fostering lifelong learning, integrating learning and discovery, developing and sharing technical expertise, and empowering students to be tomorrow's leaders.
Browse
11 results
Search Results
Item Environment Constrains Fitness Advantages of Division of Labor in Microbial Consortia Engineered for Metabolite Push or Pull Interactions(American Society for Microbiology, 2022-08) Beck, Ashely E.; Pintar, Kathryn; Schepens, Diana; Schrammeck, Ashely; Johnson, Timothy; Bleem, Alissa; Du, Martina; Harcombe, William R.; Bernstein, Hans C.; Heys, Jeffrey J.; Gedeon, Tomas; Carlson, Ross P.Fitness benefits from division of labor are well documented in microbial consortia, but the dependency of the benefits on environmental context is poorly understood. Two synthetic Escherichia coli consortia were built to test the relationships between exchanged organic acid, local environment, and opportunity costs of different metabolic strategies. Opportunity costs quantify benefits not realized due to selecting one phenotype over another. The consortia catabolized glucose and exchanged either acetic or lactic acid to create producer-consumer food webs. The organic acids had different inhibitory properties and different opportunity costs associated with their positions in central metabolism. The exchanged metabolites modulated different consortial dynamics. The acetic acid-exchanging (AAE) consortium had a “push” interaction motif where acetic acid was secreted faster by the producer than the consumer imported it, while the lactic acid-exchanging (LAE) consortium had a “pull” interaction motif where the consumer imported lactic acid at a comparable rate to its production. The LAE consortium outperformed wild-type (WT) batch cultures under the environmental context of weakly buffered conditions, achieving a 55% increase in biomass titer, a 51% increase in biomass per proton yield, an 86% increase in substrate conversion, and the complete elimination of by-product accumulation all relative to the WT. However, the LAE consortium had the trade-off of a 42% lower specific growth rate. The AAE consortium did not outperform the WT in any considered performance metric. Performance advantages of the LAE consortium were sensitive to environment; increasing the medium buffering capacity negated the performance advantages compared to WT.Item Innovating carbon-capture biotechnologies through ecosystem-inspired solutions(Elsevier BV, 2021-01) Schweitzer, Hannah; Aalto, Nerea J.; Busch, Wolfgang; Chan, Dennis Tin Chat; Chiesa, Matteo; Elvevoll, Edel O.; Gerlach, Robin; Krause, Kristen; Mocaer, Karel; Moran, James J.; Noel, Joseph P.; Patil, Shalaka Kiran; Schwab, Yannick; Wijffels, René H.; Wulff, Angela; Øvreås, Lise; Bernstein, Hans C.Rising atmospheric carbon concentrations affect global health, the economy, and overall quality of life. We are fast approaching climate tipping points that must be addressed, not only by reducing emissions but also through new innovation and action toward carbon capture for sequestration and utilization (CCSU). In this perspective, we delineate next-generation biotechnologies for CCSU supported by engineering design principles derived from ecological processes inspired by three major biomes (plant-soil, deep biosphere, and marine). These are to interface with existing industrial infrastructure and, in some cases, tap into the carbon sink potential of nature. To develop ecosystem-inspired biotechnology, it is important to identify accessible control points of CO2 and CH4 within a given system as well as value-chain opportunities that drive innovation. In essence, we must supplement natural biogeochemical carbon sinks with new bioengineering solutions.Item Robustness analysis of culturing perturbations on Escherichia coli colony biofilm beta-lactam and aminoglycoside antibiotic tolerance(2010-07) Zuroff, Trevor R.; Bernstein, Hans C.; Lloyd-Randolfi, J.; Jimenez-Taracido, L.; Stewart, Philip S.; Carlson, Ross P.BACKGROUND: Biofilms are ubiquitous. For instance, the majority of medical infections are thought to involve biofilms. However even after decades of investigation, the in vivo efficacy of many antimicrobial strategies is still debated, suggesting there is a need for better understanding of biofilm antimicrobial tolerances. The current study's goal is to characterize the robustness of biofilm antibiotic tolerance to medically and industrially relevant culturing perturbations. By definition, robust systems will return similar, predictable responses when perturbed, while non-robust systems will return very different, and potentially unpredictable, responses. The predictability of an antibiotic tolerance response is essential to developing, testing, and employing antimicrobial strategies. RESULTS: The antibiotic tolerance of Escherichia coli colony biofilms was tested against beta-lactam and aminoglycoside class antibiotics. Control scenario tolerances were compared to tolerances under culturing perturbations including 1) different nutritional environments 2) different temperatures 3) interruption of cellular quorum sensing and 4) different biofilm culture ages. Here, antibiotic tolerance was defined in terms of culturable biofilm cells recovered after a twenty four hour antibiotic treatment.Colony biofilm antibiotic tolerances were not robust to perturbations. Altering basic culturing parameters like nutritional environment or temperature resulted in very different, non-intuitive antibiotic tolerance responses. Some minor perturbations—like increasing the glucose concentration from 0.1 to 1 g/L—caused a ten-million fold difference in culturable cells over a twenty four hour antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The current study presents a basis for robustness analysis of biofilm antibiotic tolerance. Biofilm antibiotic tolerance can vary in unpredictable manners based on modest changes in culturing conditions. Common antimicrobial testing methods, which only consider a single culturing condition, are not desirable since slight culturing variations can lead to very different outcomes. The presented data suggest it is essential to test antimicrobial strategies over a range of culturing perturbations relevant to the targeted application. In addition, the highly dynamic antibiotic tolerance responses observed here may explain why some current antimicrobial strategies occasionally fail.Item Synthetic Escherichia coli consortia engineered for syntrophy demonstrate enhanced biomass productivity(2012-01) Bernstein, Hans C.; Paulson, S. D.; Carlson, Ross P.Synthetic Escherichia coli consortia engineered for syntrophy demonstrated enhanced biomass productivity relative to monocultures. Binary consortia were designed to mimic a ubiquitous, naturally occurring ecological template of primary productivity supported by secondary consumption. The synthetic consortia replicated this evolution-proven strategy by combining a glucose positive E. coli strain, which served as the system's primary producer, with a glucose negative E. coli strain which consumed metabolic byproducts from the primary producer. The engineered consortia utilized strategic division of labor to simultaneously optimize multiple tasks enhancing overall culture performance. Consortial interactions resulted in the emergent property of enhanced system biomass productivity which was demonstrated with three distinct culturing systems: batch, chemostat and biofilm growth. Glucose-based biomass productivity increased by ~15, 20 and 50% compared to appropriate monoculture controls for these three culturing systems, respectively. Interestingly, the consortial interactions also produced biofilms with predictable, self-assembling, laminated microstructures. This study establishes a metabolic engineering paradigm which can be easily adapted to existing E. coli based bioprocesses to improve productivity based on a robust ecological themeItem Microbial consortia engineering for cellular factories: In vitro to in silico systems(2012-10) Bernstein, Hans C.; Carlson, Ross P.This mini-review discusses the current state of experimental and computational microbial consortia engineering with a focus on cellular factories. A discussion of promising ecological theories central to community resource usage is presented to facilitate interpretation of consortial designs. Recent case studies exemplifying different resource usage motifs and consortial assembly templates are presented. The review also highlights in silico approaches to design and to analyze consortia with an emphasis on stoichiometric modeling methods. The discipline of microbial consortia engineering possesses a widely accepted potential to generate highly novel and effective bio-catalysts for applications from biofuels to specialty chemicals to enhanced mineral recovery.Item Iron induces bimodal population development by Escherichia coli(2013-01) DePas, W. H.; Hufnagel, D. A.; Lee, J. S.; Blanco, L. P.; Bernstein, Hans C.; Fisher, Steve T.; James, Garth A.; Stewart, Philip S.; Chapman, M. R.Bacterial biofilm formation is a complex developmental process involving cellular differentiation and the formation of intricate 3D structures. Here we demonstrate that exposure to ferric chloride triggers rugose biofilm formation by the uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain UTI89 and by enteric bacteria Citrobacter koseri and Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium. Two unique and separable cellular populations emerge in iron-triggered, rugose biofilms. Bacteria at the air–biofilm interface express high levels of the biofilm regulator csgD, the cellulose activator adrA, and the curli subunit operon csgBAC. Bacteria in the interior of rugose biofilms express low levels of csgD and undetectable levels of matrix components curli and cellulose. Iron activation of rugose biofilms is linked to oxidative stress. Superoxide generation, either through addition of phenazine methosulfate or by deletion of sodA and sodB, stimulates rugose biofilm formation in the absence of high iron. Additionally, overexpression of Mn-superoxide dismutase, which can mitigate iron-derived reactive oxygen stress, decreases biofilm formation in a WT strain upon iron exposure. Not only does reactive oxygen stress promote rugose biofilm formation, but bacteria in the rugose biofilms display increased resistance to H2O2 toxicity. Altogether, we demonstrate that iron and superoxide stress trigger rugose biofilm formation in UTI89. Rugose biofilm development involves the elaboration of two distinct bacterial populations and increased resistance to oxidative stress.Item In situ analysis of oxygen consumption and diffusive transport in 1 high-temperature acidic iron-oxide microbial mats(2013-03) Bernstein, Hans C.; Beam, Jacob P.; Kozubal, Mark A.; Carlson, Ross P.; Inskeep, William P.The role of dissolved oxygen as a principal electron acceptor for microbial metabolism was investigated within Fe(III)-oxide microbial mats that form in acidic geothermal springs of Yellowstone National Park (USA). Specific goals of the study were to measure and model dissolved oxygen profiles within high temperature (65–75°C) acidic (pH = 2.7–3.8) Fe(III)-oxide microbial mats, and correlate the abundance of aerobic, iron-oxidizing Metallosphaera yellowstonensis organisms and mRNA gene expression levels to Fe(II)-oxidizing habitats shown to consume oxygen. In situ oxygen microprofiles were obtained perpendicular to the direction of convective flow across the aqueous phase/Fe(III)-oxide microbial mat interface using oxygen microsensors. Dissolved oxygen concentrations dropped from ~ 50–60 µM in the bulkfluid/ mat surface to below detection (< 0.3 µM) at a depth of ~ 700 µm (~ 10% of the total mat depth). Net areal oxygen fluxes into the microbial mats were estimated to range from 1.4–1.6 Â¥ 10-4 µmol cm-2 s-1. Dimensionless parameters were used to model dissolved oxygen profiles and establish that mass transfer rates limit the oxygen consumption. A zone of higher dissolved oxygen at the mat surface promotes Fe(III)-oxide biomineralization, which was supported using molecular analysis of Metallosphaera yellowstonensis 16S rRNA gene copy numbers and mRNA expression of haem Cu oxidases (FoxA) associated with Fe(II)-oxidation.Item Differentiation of microbial species and strains in coculture biofilms by multivariate analysis of laser desorption postionization mass spectra(2013-09) Bhardwaj, C.; Cui, Y.; Hofstetter, T.; Liu, S. Y.; Bernstein, Hans C.; Carlson, Ross P.; Ahmed, M.; Hanley, L.7.87 to 10.5 eV vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photon energies were used in laser desorption postionization mass spectrometry (LDPI-MS) to analyze biofilms comprised of binary cultures of interacting microorganisms. The effect of photon energy was examined using both tunable synchrotron and laser sources of VUV radiation. Principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to the MS data to differentiate species in Escherichia coli–Saccharomyces cerevisiae coculture biofilms. PCA of LDPI-MS also differentiated individual E. coli strains in a biofilm comprised of two interacting gene deletion strains, even though these strains differed from the wild type K-12 strain by no more than four gene deletions each out of approximately 2000 genes. PCA treatment of 7.87 eV LDPI-MS data separated the E. coli strains into three distinct groups, two “pure†groups, and a mixed region. Furthermore, the “pure†regions of the E. coli cocultures showed greater variance by PCA at 7.87 eV photon energies compared to 10.5 eV radiation. This is consistent with the expectation that the 7.87 eV photoionization selects a subset of low ionization energy analytes while 10.5 eV is more inclusive, detecting a wider range of analytes. These two VUV photon energies therefore give different spreads via PCA and their respective use in LDPI-MS constitute an additional experimental parameter to differentiate strains and species.Item Microsensor and transcriptomic signatures of oxygen depletion in biofilms associated with chronic wounds.(2016-04) James, Garth A.; Zhao, Alice Ge; Usui, Marcia L.; Underwood, Robert A.; Nguyen, Hung; Beyenal, Haluk; Pulcini, Elinor D.; Hunt, Alessandra Agostinho; Bernstein, Hans C.; Fleckman, Philip; Olerud, John E.; Williamson, Kerry S.; Franklin, Michael J.; Stewart, Philip S.Biofilms have been implicated in delayed wound healing, although the mechanisms by which biofilms impair wound healing are poorly understood. Many species of bacteria produce exotoxins and exoenzymes that may inhibit healing. In addition, oxygen consumption by biofilms and by the responding leukocytes, may impede wound healing by depleting the oxygen that is required for healing. In this study, oxygen microsensors to measure oxygen transects through in vitro cultured biofilms, biofilms formed in vivo within scabs from a diabetic (db/db) mouse wound model, and ex vivo human chronic wound specimens was used. The results showed that oxygen levels within mouse scabs had steep gradients that reached minima ranging from 17 to 72 mmHg on live mice and from 6.4 to 1.1 mmHg on euthanized mice. The oxygen gradients in the mouse scabs were similar to those observed for clinical isolates cultured in vitro and for human ex vivo specimens. To characterize the metabolic activities of the bacteria in the mouse scabs, transcriptomics analyses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms associated with the db/db mice wounds was performed. The results demonstrated that the bacteria expressed genes for metabolic activities associated with cell growth. Interestingly, the transcriptome results also indicated that the bacteria within the wounds experienced oxygen-limitation stress. Among the bacterial genes that were expressed in vivo were genes associated with the Anr-mediated hypoxia-stress response. Other bacterial stress response genes highly expressed in vivo were genes associated with stationary-phase growth, osmotic stress, and RpoH-mediated heat shock stress. Overall, the results supported the hypothesis that bacterial biofilms in chronic wounds promote chronicity by contributing to the maintenance of localized low oxygen tensions, through their metabolic activities and through their recruitment of cells that consume oxygen for host defensive processes.Item Direct measurement and characterization of active photosynthesis zones inside wastewater remediating and biofuel producing microalgal biofilms(2014-03) Bernstein, Hans C.; Kessano, M.; Moll, Karen M.; Smith, Terrence; Gerlach, Robin; Carlson, Ross P.; Miller, Charles D.; Peyton, Brent M.; Cooksey, Keith E.; Gardner, Robert D.; Sims, R. C.Microalgal biofilm based technologies are of keen interest due to their high biomass concentrations and ability to utilize light and CO2. While photoautotrophic biofilms have long been used for wastewater remediation, biofuel production represents a relatively new and under-represented focus area. However, the direct measurement and characterization of fundamental parameters required for industrial control are challenging due to biofilm heterogeneity. This study evaluated oxygenic photosynthesis and respiration on two distinct microalgal biofilms cultured using a novel rotating algal biofilm reactor operated at field- and laboratory-scales. Clear differences in oxygenic photosynthesis and respiration were observed based on different culturing conditions, microalgal composition, light intensity and nitrogen availability. The cultures were also evaluated as potential biofuel synthesis strategies. Nitrogen depletion was not found to have the same effect on lipid accumulation compared to traditional planktonic microalgal studies. Physiological characterizations of these microalgal biofilms identify fundamental parameters needed to understand and control process optimization.