"Together, we are strong(er): a bacterial community boosts production of bioplastics by an engineered cyanobacterium"

Bioplastics can be made from so-called PHA polymers. One type of PHA is PHB. Researchers are studying whether cyanobacteria can produce PHB in a particularly resource-efficient way. These microbes perform photosynthesis and use CO₂ as a carbon source.

One example is the cyanobacterium Synechocystis. Under nutrient limitation, it stops growing and forms PHB. The research group led by CMFI member Karl Forchhammer studies this process.

In a Behind the Paper post for Research Communities (Springer Nature), Libera Lo Presti offers insights into the work of Forchhammer and his team. In 2020, the researchers succeeded in genetically modifying Synechocystis so that the bacteria produced more PHB. But hurdles remain before the process can be used on an industrial scale: growth and PHB production still work against each other. In addition, isolated Synechocystis cultures are sensitive to environmental stress, such as changes in temperature or light conditions.

A study by Prof. Forchhammer and doctoral researcher Arianna Zini, published in Microbial Biotechnology, now points to a possible way forward. In a natural microbiome, where Synechocystis is the only cyanobacterium among other microbes, it produced significantly more PHB. It was also more resilient to stress factors.

The researchers suspect that other microbes in the microbiome supply Synechocystis with important nutrients or antioxidants. This could protect the cells from oxidative stress. According to Zini, this knowledge could help researchers develop tailored microbial communities for bioplastic production in the future.

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