Resource scarcity is a common stress in nature and has a major impact on microbial physiology. This review highlights microbial acclimations to resource scarcity, focusing on resource investment strategies for chemoheterotrophs from the molecular level to the pathway level. Competitive resource allocation strategies often lead to a phenotype known as overflow metabolism; the resulting overflow byproducts can stabilize cooperative interactions in microbial communities and can lead to cross-feeding consortia. These consortia can exhibit emergent properties such as enhanced resource usage and biomass productivity. The literature distilled here draws parallels between in silico and laboratory studies and ties them together with ecological theories to better understand microbial stress responses and mutualistic consortia functioning.
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April 2018
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A 3D rendering of a Ubiquitin protein molecule. In this issue of Biochemical Society Transactions, Ovaa and Vertegaal discuss the role of ubiquitination and SUMO proteins in conjugation and deconjugation machineries; for details, see pages 423–436.
Review Article|
February 22 2018
Competitive resource allocation to metabolic pathways contributes to overflow metabolisms and emergent properties in cross-feeding microbial consortia
Ross P. Carlson;
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology, or Mathematics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, U.S.A.
Correspondence: Ross P. Carlson (rossc@montana.edu)
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Ashley E. Beck;
Ashley E. Beck
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology, or Mathematics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, U.S.A.
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Poonam Phalak;
Poonam Phalak
2Department of Chemical Engineering and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A.
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Matthew W. Fields;
Matthew W. Fields
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology, or Mathematics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, U.S.A.
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Tomas Gedeon;
Tomas Gedeon
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology, or Mathematics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, U.S.A.
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Luke Hanley;
Luke Hanley
3Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, U.S.A.
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William R. Harcombe;
William R. Harcombe
4Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, U.S.A.
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Michael A. Henson;
Michael A. Henson
2Department of Chemical Engineering and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A.
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Jeffrey J. Heys
Jeffrey J. Heys
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology, or Mathematics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, U.S.A.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
October 17 2017
Revision Received:
December 21 2017
Accepted:
January 01 2018
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2018
Biochem Soc Trans (2018) 46 (2): 269–284.
Article history
Received:
October 17 2017
Revision Received:
December 21 2017
Accepted:
January 01 2018
Citation
Ross P. Carlson, Ashley E. Beck, Poonam Phalak, Matthew W. Fields, Tomas Gedeon, Luke Hanley, William R. Harcombe, Michael A. Henson, Jeffrey J. Heys; Competitive resource allocation to metabolic pathways contributes to overflow metabolisms and emergent properties in cross-feeding microbial consortia. Biochem Soc Trans 17 April 2018; 46 (2): 269–284. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20170242
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