NSF/MCB-BSF: Elucidating the transient contact-dependent molecular trade in multispecies bacterial communities

Diverse bacteria are found everywhere outside, on animals and plants, as well as in the gut. Thus, the behavior and activity of bacterial communities in these varied environment affects many industries, including agriculture, wastewater treatment, biotech, and medicine. This collaborative project focuses on the recent discovery that two bacterial cells that touch each other can share some materials. By deriving the rules and limits for this contact-dependent molecular exchange, the investigators could learn to harness this process to make bacterial communities work better. This NSF-BSF project will provide cross-disciplinary training for graduate and undergraduate students, as well as cross-cultural opportunities to learn about the science community and research in Israel. As outreach to the general public, the investigators will use striking cell biology photos from the project to jump-start conversations about science at informal events to discuss science with local adults and families. Finally, a new part of a lecture course will provide younger students with practice in science communication.<br/><br/>Bacteria reside in multispecies communities in the wild; however, the molecular consequences of interspecies contact have been hardly explored. Accumulating data indicate that neighboring bacteria can exchange proteins and metabolites in a contact-dependent manner. This exchange is shown to elicit new phenotypes, but the scope and rules governing this phenomenon are unrevealed. This NSF-BSF collaborative project aims to provide the first comprehensive view of non-hereditary molecular exchange occurring upon bacterial interspecies contact. First, researchers will investigate whether RNAs are exchanged between neighboring cells, which would expand the scope of this phenomenon. This aim also will lead to development of novel synthetic biology tools for RNA tracking and tagging. Second, researchers will perform global transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of recipient cells from mixed-species cultures in order to determine the extent and identities of RNAs and proteins that are delivered from one species to the other. The analysis in this aim also will help to establish rules or sequence barcodes that govern RNA and protein exchange. Third, researchers will use both systemwide and targeted approaches to evaluate the effects of contact-dependent molecular exchange on gene regulation and signaling. All these aims will be accompanied with the study of the impact and the contribution of intercellular nanotubes to these events. It is expected that the results and methodologies from this study of model dual-species systems will provide a framework for elucidating more complex communities.<br/><br/>This collaborative US/Israel project is supported by the US National Science Foundation and the Israeli Binational Science Foundation.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.