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Trichoderma-E. coli Cellulosic Isobutanol Coculture

Community ID CommunityMech:000205
Ecological State ENGINEERED
Environment cellulosic biomass laboratory bioprocess
ENVO:01001405

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
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
ABUNDANT
Escherichia coli NCBITaxon:562
CROSS_FEEDER SECONDARY_FERMENTER
ABUNDANT
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "bacterium Escherichia coli"
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "metabolizes soluble saccharides into desired products"

Ecological Interactions

Ecological interaction network for Trichoderma-E. coli Cellulosic Isobutanol Coculture Bipartite graph where circle nodes represent taxa and colored rectangles represent ecological interactions (cross-feeding, mutualism, syntrophy, competition, commensalism).
Taxon
Cross-feeding
Mutualism
Syntrophy
Competition
Commensalism
Niche partitioning
Colonization facilitation
Strain competition
Predation

Fungal Cellulase Hydrolysis

COMMENSALISM

Source Taxon: Trichoderma reesei

Target Taxon: Escherichia coli

Metabolites: cellulose (CHEBI:18246), glucose (CHEBI:17234)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "hydrolyze lignocellulosic biomass into soluble saccharides"

Bacterial Isobutanol Production From Soluble Saccharides

CROSS_FEEDING

Source Taxon: Trichoderma reesei

Target Taxon: Escherichia coli

Metabolites: glucose (CHEBI:17234), isobutanol (CHEBI:46645)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "metabolizes soluble saccharides into desired products"
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "titers up to 1.88 g/L"

Cooperator-Cheater Population Stability

COMMENSALISM

Source Taxon: Trichoderma reesei

Target Taxon: Escherichia coli

Biological Processes:

  • interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419)

Evidence

  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "cooperator-cheater dynamics within T. reesei/E. coli consortia"
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "stable population equilibria"

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
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "T. reesei/E. coli consortia"
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
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "microcrystalline cellulose and pretreated corn stover"
Nutrient supplementation no costly nutrient supplementation N/A
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Without costly nutrient supplementation"
Product performance up to 1.88 g/L isobutanol and up to 62% theoretical yield N/A
  • PMID:23959872 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "yields up to 62% of theoretical maximum"

Growth Media

Cellulosic biomass-to-isobutanol coculture conditions

Atmosphere AEROBIC

Composition

Component Concentration Unit CHEBI
microcrystalline cellulose N/A N/A CHEBI:18246
pretreated corn stover N/A N/A N/A
glucose N/A N/A CHEBI:17234

Preparation notes: The PubMed abstract supports microcrystalline cellulose and pretreated corn stover as feedstocks and does not provide complete medium composition. The full article reports Trichoderma minimal medium and engineered E. coli strains, but this record keeps the curated growth condition at the abstract-supported species and feedstock level.

Evidence

PMID:23959872

"direct conversion of microcrystalline cellulose and pretreated corn stover to isobutanol"