Abstract
Bioremediation is a sustainable remediation technology as it utilizes microorganisms to convert hazardous compounds into their less toxic or non-toxic constituent elements. This technology has achieved some success in the past decades; however, factors involving microbial consortia, such as microbial assembly, functional interactions, and the role of member species, hinder its development. Microbial consortia may be engineered to reconfigure metabolic pathways and reprogram social interactions to get the desired function, thereby providing solutions to its inherent problems. The engineering of microbial consortia is commonly applied for the commercial production of biomolecules. However, in the field of bioremediation, the engineering of microbial consortia needs to be emphasized. In this review, we will discuss the molecular and ecological mechanisms of engineering microbial consortia with a particular focus on metabolic cross-feeding within species and the transfer of metabolites. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of top-down and bottom-up approaches of engineering microbial consortia and their applications in bioremediation.
Highlights
Microbes are ubiquitous organisms, found in air, soil, water, as well as animals, and plants [1]
We focused on the molecular mechanisms of microbial consortia, metabolic cross-feeding between species (Figure 1)
A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-degrading microbial consortium consisting of Pseudomonas and Actinobacteria strains show emulsifying activities in the presence of PAHs, which notably helps the solubilization of PAHs during biodegradation [41]
Summary
Found in air, soil, water, as well as animals, and plants [1]. They play vital roles in driving global biogeochemical cycles and have an immense impact on the survival, health, and development of mankind. Microbes compete for limited nutrients and consume metabolic products secreted by other species to gain fitness advantage [6]. It has been successfully applied in bioremediation of polluted sites, and failed in some cases [7]. We addressed important principles for engineering microbial consortia for the bioremediation of pollutants
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