Metabolome monitoring in microbial co-cultures using custom hardware and software

• Grant number: 22/15042-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2023
• End date: February 29, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Roberto da Silva
• Grantee: João Vitor Guimarães Ferreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/18922-2 - Development of a computing platform extensible and modular for metabolomics and metagenomics analysis: innovation with the discovery of new enzymatic activities and natural products of pharmaceutical interest derived, AP.BTA.JP

Abstract

The present study has two objectives: (1) to develop and validate a custom Arduino hardware and software system to observe the metabolic behavior of microbial co-cultures over a time series; and (2) to evaluate the interactions between two species of fungi that produce ligninolytic enzymes (PhanerochaeteP. chrysosporium and TrichodermaT. reesei), in a co-culture in this system, to verify if synergy occurs between the metabolites of these fungi. To this end, a liquid dispenser system will be adapted, with a custom-made container and an Arduino board, so that the culture media can be automatically renewed and the metabolism of each microbial generation grown in them will be evaluated. For the validation of the system, the fungus P. chrysosporium will be used, whose genome is completely described in the literature. Once the system is validated, the co-culture of the species P. chrysosporium and T. reesei will be carried out, and the produced metabolites will be analyzed by chromatography and mass spectrometry. It is expected, at the end of the research, to obtain both a monitoring system for cultures (or co-cultures) of microorganisms (and, mainly, their metabolites), as well as an overview of the evolution of the ligninolytic enzymes of P. chrysosporium and T. reesei, when grown together.