A synthetic fungal-bacterial consortium designed for direct conversion of cellulosic biomass to isobutanol. The community divides labor between Trichoderma reesei, which secretes cellulases that hydrolyze lignocellulosic biomass into soluble saccharides, and Escherichia coli, which metabolizes those saccharides into the target biofuel product. The study demonstrated conversion of microcrystalline cellulose and pretreated corn stover to isobutanol, making the system relevant to DOE lignocellulosic biofuel and consolidated bioprocessing goals.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trichoderma reesei | NCBITaxon:51453 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
|
ABUNDANT |
|
|||
| Escherichia coli | NCBITaxon:562 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
CROSS_FEEDER
SECONDARY_FERMENTER
|
ABUNDANT |
|
|||
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.
Fungal Cellulase Hydrolysis
CROSS_FEEDINGT. reesei cellulases release soluble saccharides from cellulosic biomass for consumption by engineered E. coli. This resource delivery supports cross-feeding; it does not by itself establish a neutral effect on the fungus or unconditional commensalism.
Source Taxon: Trichoderma reesei
Target Taxon: Escherichia coli
Metabolites: cellulose (CHEBI:18246 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), glucose (CHEBI:17234 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- cellulose catabolic process (GO:0030245 · PathwayMech)
T. reesei cellulase activity releases soluble saccharides that engineered E. coli consumes for isobutanol production.
PARTIAL: fungal saccharide release supplies the resource basis of the reported cooperator-cheater dynamics. Stable equilibria depend on the study conditions and model assumptions; hydrolysis alone is not sufficient evidence of coexistence. The abstract reports experimental model validation.
Evidence
-
PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"hydrolyze lignocellulosic biomass into soluble saccharides"
Bacterial Isobutanol Production From Soluble Saccharides
Engineered E. coli converts soluble saccharides supplied by fungal hydrolysis into isobutanol. This is the recipient production outcome, not evidence that isobutanol itself is exchanged between the partners. The abstract reports maximum titers of 1.88 g/L and yields up to 62 percent of theoretical; these maxima are not assumed to describe the same assay.
Participating Taxa: Escherichia coli
Metabolites: glucose (CHEBI:17234 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), isobutanol (CHEBI:46645 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- fermentation (GO:0006113 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
-
PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"metabolizes soluble saccharides into desired products"
-
PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"titers up to 1.88 g/L"
Reported Cooperator-Cheater Population Equilibria
PARTIAL: the study reports cooperator-cheater dynamics and stable population equilibria using a comprehensive mathematical model that was experimentally validated. Fungal cellulase production and bacterial use of released sugars underlie the modeled interaction. The abstract supports this combined modeling/experimental framework, not stable coexistence under every starting ratio or environmental condition. Full-paper access was unavailable for checking the exact perturbations and model assumptions; experimental validation is not being reclassified as purely computational speculation.
Participating Taxa: Trichoderma reesei, Escherichia coli
Biological Processes:
- interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
-
PMID:23959872 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"cooperator-cheater dynamics within T. reesei/E. coli consortia"
-
PMID:23959872 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"stable population equilibria"
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which experimental perturbations and model assumptions bound the reported stable equilibria?
The primary abstract explicitly reports experimental model validation. Full text was unavailable after bounded public retrieval attempts, so exact-system stability conditions cannot be audited here. Hydrolysis provides a resource basis, not proof that every inoculum converges to coexistence.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Fungal Cellulase Hydrolysis, ecological_interactions#Bacterial Isobutanol Production From Soluble Saccharides, ecological_interactions#Reported Cooperator-Cheater Population Equilibria
1 evidence item(s)
cooperator-cheater dynamics within T. reesei/E. coli consortia
Abstract supports the reported cooperator-cheater framework, not universal commensalism or a full audit of model assumptions.
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
|
Exact-system primary publication - fungal-bacterial isobutanol consortium
PubMed record for the synthetic Trichoderma reesei and Escherichia coli consortium for direct isobutanol production from cellulosic biomass. |
OTHER | PMID:23959872 |
|
||
|
Full-text open-access article
Full-text article with strain, medium, and reactor details for the Trichoderma reesei and E. coli cellulosic isobutanol consortium. |
OTHER | PMCID:PMC3767521 |
|
DOI landing page
DOI for the primary PNAS publication. |
OTHER | doi:10.1073/pnas.1218447110 |
|
OSTI record
DOE OSTI record identifying the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center publication and USDOE Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research sponsorship. |
OTHER | OSTI:1152950 |
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Cellulosic feedstock | microcrystalline cellulose and pretreated corn stover | N/A |
|
||
| Nutrient supplementation | no costly nutrient supplementation | N/A |
|
||
| Product performance | up to 1.88 g/L isobutanol and up to 62% theoretical yield | N/A |
|
||
Growth Media
Cross-Mech Suite Links
Explore related entities across the CultureBotAI X-Mech knowledge bases: