Taking control over microbial populations: Current approaches for exploiting biological noise in bioprocesses

Flow cytometry; Microbial stress; Microfluidics; Phenotypic heterogeneity; Single cell; Cytology; Environmental technology; Physiology; Signal processing; Experimental identification; Mathematical expressions; Mathematical representations; Microbial physiology; Microbial populations; Phenotypic plasticity; Single cells; Cells; Review

Abstract :

[en] Phenotypic plasticity of microbial cells has attracted much attention and several research efforts have been dedicated to the description of methods aiming at characterizing phenotypic heterogeneity and its impact on microbial populations. However, different approaches have also been suggested in order to take benefit from noise in a bioprocess perspective, e.g. by increasing the robustness or productivity of a microbial population. This review is dedicated to outline these controlling methods. A common issue, that has still to be addressed, is the experimental identification and the mathematical expression of noise. Indeed, the effective interfacing of microbial physiology with external parameters that can be used for controlling physiology depends on the acquisition of reliable signals. Latest technologies, like single cell microfluidics and advanced flow cytometric approaches, enable linking physiology, noise, heterogeneity in productive microbes with environmental cues and hence allow correctly mapping and predicting biological behavior via mathematical representations. However, like in the field of electronics, signals are perpetually subjected to noise. If appropriately interpreted, this noise can give an additional insight into the behavior of the individual cells within a microbial population of interest. This review focuses on recent progress made at describing, treating and exploiting biological noise in the context of microbial populations used in various bioprocess applications. Copyright © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Disciplines :

Biotechnology

Author, co-author :

Delvigne, Frank ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Agronomie, Bio-ingénierie et Chimie (AgroBioChem) > Microbial, food and biobased technologies

Baert, Jonathan ; University of Liège, TERRA research center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Microbial Processes and Interactions (MiPI lab), Gembloux, Belgium

Sassi, Hosni ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Agronomie, Bio-ingénierie et Chimie (AgroBioChem) > Microbial, food and biobased technologies

Fickers, Patrick ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Agronomie, Bio-ingénierie et Chimie (AgroBioChem) > Microbial, food and biobased technologies

Grünberger, A.; Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Jülich, Germany, Multiscale Bioengineering, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany

Dusny, C.; Department Solar Materials, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany

Language :

English

Title :

Taking control over microbial populations: Current approaches for exploiting biological noise in bioprocesses

Publication date :

2017

Journal title :

Biotechnology Journal

ISSN :

1860-6768

eISSN :

1860-7314

Publisher :

Wiley-VCH Verlag

Volume :

Issue :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Name of the research project :

Wagralim-Biowin cluster of excellence in Wallonia, Belgium (Single Cells project n° 7273)

Funders :

Wagralim
HGF - Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique

Available on ORBi :

since 02 July 2018

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