Ruisheng Song¹ , Ke Sun ¹ , Yexuan Wang¹ , Shenkui Liu¹ , Yuanyuan Bu²

1 State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, Zhejiang, China
2 Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration (College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University), Ministry of Education, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Molecular Microbiology Research, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/mmr.2024.14.0005
Received: 22 Dec., 2023    Accepted: 31 Jan., 2024    Published: 18 Feb., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Song R.S., Sun K., Wang Y.X., Liu S.K., and Bu Y.Y., 2024, Synthetic microbial communities: redesigning genetic pathways for enhanced functional synergy, Molecular Microbiology Research, 14(1): 39-48 (doi: 10.5376/mmr.2024.14.0005)

This study aims to summarize recent advancements in genetic engineering, focusing on the interactions within microbial communities and their implications for improved functionality. Significant progress has been made in the field of synthetic biology, particularly in the design of synthetic microbial communities. Recent studies have demonstrated the use of control engineering concepts to analyze and design microbial systems, enhancing their functional output. The development of robust synthetic communities using quorum sensing and other interaction motifs has shown promise in creating stable and efficient microbial consortia. Additionally, programmable ecological interactions within synthetic consortia have been engineered to achieve specific population dynamics and functional outcomes. Advances in genome-centric metagenomics have provided deeper insights into the metabolic pathways and synergistic networks within microbial communities, revealing novel metabolic interactions and evolutionary insights. Furthermore, the integration of systems biology and synthetic biology approaches has been pivotal in understanding and manipulating the human microbiome for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The redesign of genetic pathways within synthetic microbial communities holds significant potential for various industrial, environmental, and health-related applications. By leveraging advanced genetic engineering techniques and a deeper understanding of microbial interactions, it is possible to create microbial consortia with enhanced functional synergy. These developments pave the way for innovative solutions in bioremediation, chemical production, and human health, highlighting the importance of continued research in this rapidly evolving field.

Synthetic microbial communities; Genetic pathway redesign; Genetic engineering; Microbial interactions; Quorum sensing; Synthetic biology; Human microbiome; Metabolic pathways