A defined algal-bacterial coculture in which Chlorella minutissima was grown with Escherichia coli in airlift reactors under mixotrophic glucose, glycerol, and acetate conditions. The coculture produced more algal biomass, consumed more carbon substrate, and increased lipid and starch productivity relative to axenic algal cultures. This system is relevant to DOE-aligned algal biofuel biotechnology because it tests whether bacterial contamination or partnership can improve production of algal biofuel precursors rather than suppressing algal biomass.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorella minutissima | NCBITaxon:3071 |
PRIMARY_PRODUCER
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ABUNDANT |
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| Escherichia coli | NCBITaxon:562 |
CROSS_FEEDER
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ABUNDANT |
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Ecological Interactions
Bacterial Enhancement of Algal Biomass
COMMENSALISMSource Taxon: Escherichia coli
Target Taxon: Chlorella minutissima
Metabolites: D-glucose (CHEBI:4167), glycerol (CHEBI:17754), acetate (CHEBI:30089)
Biological Processes:
- photosynthesis (GO:0015979)
Evidence
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PMID:24805253 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"grew more rapidly and to higher densities in the presence of E. coli"
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PMID:24805253 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"produced 200-587% more algal biomass than the axenic C. minutissima cultures"
Enhanced Mixotrophic Carbon Substrate Consumption
CROSS_FEEDINGSource Taxon: Chlorella minutissima
Target Taxon: Escherichia coli
Metabolites: D-glucose (CHEBI:4167), glycerol (CHEBI:17754), acetate (CHEBI:30089)
Biological Processes:
- carbohydrate metabolic process (GO:0005975)
Evidence
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PMID:24805253 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"consumed 23-737% more of the available carbon substrate"
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PMID:24805253 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"than the sum of substrate consumed by E. coli and C. minutissima alone"
Increased Biofuel-Precursor Productivity
MUTUALISMMetabolites: lipid (CHEBI:18059), starch (CHEBI:28017)
Biological Processes:
- lipid metabolic process (GO:0006629)
- starch metabolic process (GO:0005982)
Evidence
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PMID:24805253 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"total lipid and starch productivity were elevated in co-cultures compared to axenic cultures"
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PMID:24805253 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"bacterial contamination was not detrimental to the production of biofuel precursors"
Associated Datasets
| Dataset | Type | Repository | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
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Chlorella-Ecoli mixotrophic biofuel precursor publication
PubMed and PMC-indexed PLOS ONE study reporting algal biomass, substrate consumption, lipid, starch, biofouling, and acid-formation phenotypes for Chlorella minutissima and E. coli cocultures. |
PHENOTYPE | OTHER | PMID:24805253 |
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
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| Mixotrophic carbon substrates | glucose, glycerol, and acetate | N/A |
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| Initial substrate concentration | 1% | N/A |
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| Scale-up constraints | biofouling and acid formation | N/A |
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