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A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Balagaddé, FK; Song, H; Ozaki, J; Collins, CH; Barnet, M; Arnold, FH; Quake, SR; You, L
Published in: Molecular systems biology
January 2008

We have constructed a synthetic ecosystem consisting of two Escherichia coli populations, which communicate bi-directionally through quorum sensing and regulate each other's gene expression and survival via engineered gene circuits. Our synthetic ecosystem resembles canonical predator-prey systems in terms of logic and dynamics. The predator cells kill the prey by inducing expression of a killer protein in the prey, while the prey rescue the predators by eliciting expression of an antidote protein in the predator. Extinction, coexistence and oscillatory dynamics of the predator and prey populations are possible depending on the operating conditions as experimentally validated by long-term culturing of the system in microchemostats. A simple mathematical model is developed to capture these system dynamics. Coherent interplay between experiments and mathematical analysis enables exploration of the dynamics of interacting populations in a predictable manner.

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Published In

Molecular systems biology

DOI

EISSN

1744-4292

ISSN

1744-4292

Publication Date

January 2008

Volume

4

Start / End Page

187

Related Subject Headings

  • Time Factors
  • Systems Biology
  • Population Growth
  • Population Dynamics
  • Plasmids
  • Oscillometry
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Models, Biological
  • Microfluidics
  • Escherichia coli
 

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Balagaddé, F. K., Song, H., Ozaki, J., Collins, C. H., Barnet, M., Arnold, F. H., … You, L. (2008). A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem. Molecular Systems Biology, 4, 187. https://doi.org/10.1038/msb.2008.24
Balagaddé, Frederick K., Hao Song, Jun Ozaki, Cynthia H. Collins, Matthew Barnet, Frances H. Arnold, Stephen R. Quake, and Lingchong You. “A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem.Molecular Systems Biology 4 (January 2008): 187. https://doi.org/10.1038/msb.2008.24.
Balagaddé FK, Song H, Ozaki J, Collins CH, Barnet M, Arnold FH, et al. A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem. Molecular systems biology. 2008 Jan;4:187.
Balagaddé, Frederick K., et al. “A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem.Molecular Systems Biology, vol. 4, Jan. 2008, p. 187. Epmc, doi:10.1038/msb.2008.24.
Balagaddé FK, Song H, Ozaki J, Collins CH, Barnet M, Arnold FH, Quake SR, You L. A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem. Molecular systems biology. 2008 Jan;4:187.
Journal cover image

Published In

Molecular systems biology

DOI

EISSN

1744-4292

ISSN

1744-4292

Publication Date

January 2008

Volume

4

Start / End Page

187

Related Subject Headings

  • Time Factors
  • Systems Biology
  • Population Growth
  • Population Dynamics
  • Plasmids
  • Oscillometry
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Models, Biological
  • Microfluidics
  • Escherichia coli