Engineered Consortia for Enhanced Function of Iridescent Cellulophaga lytica Biofilms as a Living Sensing Material

Gliding bacteria such as <i>C. lytica</i> form intensely iridescent biofilms by packing themselves into polycrystalline domains. We have shown that these biofilms respond to environmental cues including salinity and temperature by dynamically changing the color reflected. As such, the biofilms offer a visible readout of its sensing status. In the current study, our goal was to develop these iridescent biofilms into living, sensing materials where <i>C. lytica </i>serves as a colorimetric reporter. Toward that end, we added genetically tractable <i>E. coli</i> to <i>C. lytica</i> biofilms, making a functional consortia in which each organism has a distinct role. Initial results address the challenges of incorporating <i>E. coli</i> into the biofilms without disturbing the iridescence generated by <i>C. lytica</i>. In addition, efforts to increase the cooperation between the two organisms will be presented. The engineered consortia made up of a non-canonical color-generating organism and a genetically tractable one could be a strategy for making living sensors suitable to a variety of environments.