A defined anaerobic three-strain consortium containing Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, Escherichia coli DH10B, and Nitratidesulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough NCIMB 8303. In glucose-yeast extract medium, the minority N. vulgaris population persists as a physical and metabolic mediator, reduces E. coli-associated inhibition of C. acetobutylicum growth, and can exchange cytoplasmic material with both other members.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 | NCBITaxon:272562 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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| Escherichia coli DH10B — ontology label: Escherichia coli str. K-12 substr. DH10B | NCBITaxon:316385 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Nitratidesulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough NCIMB 8303 — ontology label: Nitratidesulfovibrio vulgaris str. Hildenborough | NCBITaxon:882 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
CROSS_FEEDER
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
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N/A |
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Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
Fluorescent-Label Exchange and Proposed Minority-Member Shuttle
PARTIAL - confocal experiments using calcein-labeled C. acetobutylicum, mCherry-expressing E. coli and initially unlabeled N. vulgaris support exchange of fluorescent cytoplasmic labels. The authors propose that N. vulgaris acts as a shuttle between the other members. This does not identify a growth-supporting metabolite or establish that label exchange causes the growth benefit; the two rod-shaped partners are not readily distinguishable by morphology.
Biological Processes:
- biological process involved in interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41684672 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"Confocal microscopy confirmed that N. vulgaris exchanges cytoplasmic material with both C. acetobutylicum and E. coli bidirectionally, suggesting its role as a mediator in the consortium."
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PMID:41684672 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"Thus, N. vulgaris may function as a shuttle between E. coli and C. acetobutylicum."
E. coli-associated inhibition of C. acetobutylicum
PARTIAL - the E. coli/C. acetobutylicum culture has a slower second OD600 growth phase attributed to C. acetobutylicum, while the early E. coli phase appears unaffected. The authors call the relationship passive competition, but reciprocal negative effects required by the local COMPETITION type are not established. Glucose depletion, acidification, added metabolites and filtered supernatants do not reproduce every live-coculture feature; the inhibition mechanism remains incompletely resolved.
Source Taxon: Escherichia coli DH10B
Target Taxon: Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824
Biological Processes:
- biological process involved in interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41684672 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"The results indicate that E. coli engages in passive competition with C. acetobutylicum"
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PMID:41684672 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"the presence of N. vulgaris could prevent the inhibition of C. acetobutylicum growth by E. coli"
E. coli-to-Clostridium lactate cross-feeding
CROSS_FEEDINGC. acetobutylicum consumes E. coli-associated lactate in the binary coculture and in filtered E. coli supernatant. These complementary assays support extracellular lactate cross-feeding. They do not quantify every donor-resolved carbon flux or identify lactate as the unique cause of the hydrogen-yield changes.
Source Taxon: Escherichia coli DH10B
Target Taxon: Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824
Metabolites: lactate (CHEBI:24996 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41684672 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"the utilization of lactate by C. acetobutylicum is observed in both conditions, i.e., in the consortia C. acetobutylicum E. coli and C. acetobutylicum in E. coli's supernatant"
Nitratidesulfovibrio-Associated Recovery of Second-Phase Growth
Adding N. vulgaris restores a faster second mixed-culture OD600 phase, with author-reported doubling estimates of 5.5 h versus 9 h in the E. coli/C. acetobutylicum culture. Separate genomic qPCR supports the growth-phase assignment, but copies per ng DNA are not direct live-cell counts. Filtered N. vulgaris/E. coli supernatant also improves C. acetobutylicum growth without simultaneous contact with that recipient. The soluble factor and any necessity of cytoplasmic exchange remain unresolved; faster liquid-culture growth is not itself a colonization assay.
Biological Processes:
- biological process involved in interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
-
PMID:41684672 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"the presence of N. vulgaris could prevent the inhibition of C. acetobutylicum growth by E. coli"
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PMID:41684672 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"N. vulgaris emerges as an unexpected mediator and protector"
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PMID:41684672 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"C. acetobutylicum growth is also considerably enhanced in the supernatant of N. vulgaris/E. coli"
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which soluble factors or direct exchanges cause the N. vulgaris-associated growth benefit?
PMID:41684672 supports label exchange, altered growth/metabolite kinetics, lactate uptake and a filtered-supernatant benefit. It does not selectively establish a shuttle or identify the growth-promoting molecule. Matched pH/resource conditions, recipient-specific viable growth measurements and selective contact/transfer perturbations would distinguish these mechanisms. Genomic qPCR normalization and species-specific extraction differences constrain abundance comparisons.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Fluorescent-Label Exchange and Proposed Minority-Member Shuttle, ecological_interactions#E. coli-associated inhibition of C. acetobutylicum, ecological_interactions#E. coli-to-Clostridium lactate cross-feeding, ecological_interactions#Nitratidesulfovibrio-Associated Recovery of Second-Phase Growth
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
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Primary publication - minority mediator synthetic consortium
Open-access primary study of the exact three-strain consortium and its physical and metabolic interactions. |
OTHER | PMID:41684672 |
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Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Initial member ratio | 3661 | N/A |
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| Minority-member growth protection | C. acetobutylicum doubling time 5.5 h in the three-member consortium versus 9 h with E. coli alone | N/A |
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Growth Media
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