CBE Department Seminar - Michael Henson, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Dynamic Metabolic Models for Analysis and Design of Synthetic Microbial Communities
Complex biological conversion tasks such as the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass are achieved in nature through the collective action of multiple microbial species. However, natural microbial communities are difficult to study and manipulate due to their complexity. Synthetic communities comprised of a few well characterized microbes are a more tractable alternative. While experimental methods to interrogate community function have received considerable attention, the modeling framework required to rationally design microbial communities for applications such as biochemical production is currently lacking. In this talk our recent progress on developing a dynamic metabolic modeling framework for synthetic communities is discussed. Genome-scale metabolic reconstructions of individual species are used to develop dynamic models of community metabolism, including interactions between species due to substrate competition, cross-feeding and inhibitory byproducts. The modeling approach is illustrated with two co-cultures systems having applications to biofuels production: simultaneous glucose and xylose consumption by S. cerevisiae and E. coli; and (2) detoxification of biomass hydrolysates by S. cerevisiae and S. stipitis co-cultures. Finally, future research directions on the integration of transcriptome data into community models and the computational screening of genome-scale model databases are briefly described.
Friday, March 28, 2014 at 10:00am to 11:00am
Colburn Lab, Room 102
University of Delaware- Colburn Lab, University of Delaware, 150 Academy St, Newark, DE 19716-3196, USA
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Chil Alba
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302-831-2064
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