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Stable coexistence of two Caldicellulosiruptor species in a de novo constructed hydrogen-producing co-culture

Zeidan, Ahmad LU ; Rådström, Peter LU and van Niel, Ed LU (2010) In Microbial Cell Factories 9.
Abstract
Background

Mixed culture enrichments have been used frequently for biohydrogen production from different feedstock. In spite of the several advantages offered by those cultures, they suffer poor H2 yield. Constructing defined co-cultures of known H2 producers may offer a better performance than mixed-population enrichments, while overcoming some of the limitations of pure cultures based on synergies among the microorganisms involved.



Results

The extreme thermophiles Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus DSM 8903 and C. kristjanssonii DSM 12137 were combined in a co-culture for H2 production from glucose and xylose in a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor. The co-culture exhibited a remarkable stability... (More)
Background

Mixed culture enrichments have been used frequently for biohydrogen production from different feedstock. In spite of the several advantages offered by those cultures, they suffer poor H2 yield. Constructing defined co-cultures of known H2 producers may offer a better performance than mixed-population enrichments, while overcoming some of the limitations of pure cultures based on synergies among the microorganisms involved.



Results

The extreme thermophiles Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus DSM 8903 and C. kristjanssonii DSM 12137 were combined in a co-culture for H2 production from glucose and xylose in a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor. The co-culture exhibited a remarkable stability over a period of 70 days under carbon-sufficient conditions, with both strains coexisting in the system at steady states of different dilution rates, as revealed by speciesspecific

quantitative PCR assays. The two strains retained their ability to stably coexist in the reactor even when glucose was used as the sole growth-limiting substrate. Furthermore, H2 yields on glucose exceeded those of either organism alone under the same conditions, alluding to a synergistic effect of the two strains on H2 production. A maximum H2 yield of 3.7 mol (mol glucose)-1 was obtained by the co-culture at a dilution rate of 0.06 h-1; a higher yield than that reported for any mixed culture to date. A reproducible pattern of population dynamics was observed in the co-culture under both carbon and non-carbon limited conditions, with C. kristjanssonii outgrowing C. saccharolyticus during the batch start-up phase and prevailing at higher dilution rates. A basic continuous culture model assuming the ability of C. saccharolyticus to enhance the growth of C. kristjanssonii could mimic the pattern of population dynamics observed experimentally and provide clues to the nature of interaction between the two strains. As a proof, the cell-free growth supernatant of C.saccharolyticus was found able to enhance the growth of C. kristjanssonii in batch culture through shortening its lag phase and increasing its maximum biomass concentration by ca. 18%.



Conclusions

This study provides experimental evidence on the stable coexistence of two closely related organisms isolated from geographically-distant habitats under continuous operation conditions, with the production of H2 at high yields. An interspecies interaction is proposed as the reason behind the remarkable ability of the two Caldicellulosiruptor strains to coexist

in the system rather than only competing for the growth-limiting substrate. (Less)
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; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Caldicellulosiruptor hydrogen production stable coexisting co-culture chemostat
in
Microbial Cell Factories
volume
9
article number
102
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • wos:000286383100002
  • scopus:78650607487
  • pmid:21192828
ISSN
1475-2859
DOI
10.1186/1475-2859-9-102
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2f97d5ba-95dd-4330-a375-bbe900633af8 (old id 1760917)
alternative location
http://www.microbialcellfactories.com/content/9/1/102
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:59:44
date last changed
2022-03-14 08:44:30
@article{2f97d5ba-95dd-4330-a375-bbe900633af8,
  abstract     = {{Background<br/><br>
Mixed culture enrichments have been used frequently for biohydrogen production from different feedstock. In spite of the several advantages offered by those cultures, they suffer poor H2 yield. Constructing defined co-cultures of known H2 producers may offer a better performance than mixed-population enrichments, while overcoming some of the limitations of pure cultures based on synergies among the microorganisms involved.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Results<br/><br>
The extreme thermophiles Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus DSM 8903 and C. kristjanssonii DSM 12137 were combined in a co-culture for H2 production from glucose and xylose in a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor. The co-culture exhibited a remarkable stability over a period of 70 days under carbon-sufficient conditions, with both strains coexisting in the system at steady states of different dilution rates, as revealed by speciesspecific<br/><br>
quantitative PCR assays. The two strains retained their ability to stably coexist in the reactor even when glucose was used as the sole growth-limiting substrate. Furthermore, H2 yields on glucose exceeded those of either organism alone under the same conditions, alluding to a synergistic effect of the two strains on H2 production. A maximum H2 yield of 3.7 mol (mol glucose)-1 was obtained by the co-culture at a dilution rate of 0.06 h-1; a higher yield than that reported for any mixed culture to date. A reproducible pattern of population dynamics was observed in the co-culture under both carbon and non-carbon limited conditions, with C. kristjanssonii outgrowing C. saccharolyticus during the batch start-up phase and prevailing at higher dilution rates. A basic continuous culture model assuming the ability of C. saccharolyticus to enhance the growth of C. kristjanssonii could mimic the pattern of population dynamics observed experimentally and provide clues to the nature of interaction between the two strains. As a proof, the cell-free growth supernatant of C.saccharolyticus was found able to enhance the growth of C. kristjanssonii in batch culture through shortening its lag phase and increasing its maximum biomass concentration by ca. 18%.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Conclusions<br/><br>
This study provides experimental evidence on the stable coexistence of two closely related organisms isolated from geographically-distant habitats under continuous operation conditions, with the production of H2 at high yields. An interspecies interaction is proposed as the reason behind the remarkable ability of the two Caldicellulosiruptor strains to coexist<br/><br>
in the system rather than only competing for the growth-limiting substrate.}},
  author       = {{Zeidan, Ahmad and Rådström, Peter and van Niel, Ed}},
  issn         = {{1475-2859}},
  keywords     = {{Caldicellulosiruptor hydrogen production stable coexisting co-culture chemostat}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{Microbial Cell Factories}},
  title        = {{Stable coexistence of two Caldicellulosiruptor species in a de novo constructed hydrogen-producing co-culture}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/4290733/1760918.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/1475-2859-9-102}},
  volume       = {{9}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}