Exploring microbial communication through small molecules in multiple species domains for biotechnological use

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Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a broadly studied organism. Its academic and industrial importance is extensive, as model to study cellular process in eukaryotes, metabolic engineering or in industrial fermentation processes in which its contribution in the biosynthesis of flavours and aromas depends not only on culture conditions but also on whether the species is the sole contributor or on the conformation of the microbial consortium in which it takes part.The coexistence can allow the establishment of symbiotic relations that favour the group. Under these conditions, the organisms share resources as nutrients and space. The metabolic interactions can lead to, for example, the activation of complementary metabolic activities and/or the distribution of tasks across different contributing species. The microbial communities frequently show enhanced capacity in comparison to their monocultures in a range of properties including but not limited to their capacity to degrade compounds, produce different metabolites, stimulate the community growth, as well as to increase their resilience to face hostile environmental conditions. These superior characteristics are also useful for biotechnological applications; in particular, microbial consortia are used to respond to an increasing demand of natural flavours and aromas. However, while some interactions can favour the processes of interest, others may hinder it. Therefore, understanding these mechanisms could contribute to developing well-controlled processes.By culturing S. cerevisiae in coexistence with other yeasts and bacteria, a novel range of properties leading to enhanced metabolic capacity has been observed; some bacteria can modulate the yeast metabolism and reduce the yield of the toxic ethanol, S. cerevisiae can inhibit or enhance the growth of other microorganisms or can cause other microorganisms to manifest specific phenotypes. This is particularly relevant for cocultures where the non-Saccharomyces species is one with a large variety of cryptic secondary metabolites pathways that are not expressed under standard laboratory conditions such as Streptomyces, which, as a genus, is a major producer of bioactive secondary metabolites of biotechnological application.This project aims to systematically investigate the interactions S. cerevisiae establishes with species co-occurring in its natural habitat, particularly on the grape skin and on the vine-floor, which contributes to the enhancement of the quality of the produce as well as providing natural protection to its host plant via improving resistance against fungal infestations. The small molecules, which establish the communication between the interacting species, will be identified empirically, using two different model systems: a microbial consortium and pairwise interaction models of biotechnological significance.In this project, the student will be trained in a range of high-throughput cellular analytics tools and statistical evaluation of 'omics' data. The student will be introduced to various data frameworks and concepts of data standardisation for cellular measurements. Digital twin concepts will be explored within the sub-cellular domain through linear and non-linear programming of metabolic network models.The project falls specifically within the Living with Environmental Change and Manufacturing the Future Themes and Manufacturing Technologies, Process systems: components and integration, Resource efficiency and Synthetic Biology Research Areas within the EPSRC remit.Dr Sofia Kourmpetli from Cranfield University will be involved in the project and will act as a Tertiary Supervisor for the student.