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SUMMARY:Plenary Lecture 15: Can bioenergetics tell us more about microbial
  ecosystems activity than community identity? - Rodriguez\, J (Masdar Inst
 itute of Science and Technology)
DTSTART:20141128T100500Z
DTEND:20141128T104000Z
UID:TALK56414@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Mustapha Amrani
DESCRIPTION:Co-authors: Rebeca Gonzlez-Cabaleiro (University of Santiago d
 e Compostela (ES))\, Robbert Kleerebezem (Delft University of Technology (
 NL))\, Juan M. Lema (University of Santiago de Compostela (ES)) \n\nBioene
 rgetic considerations appear to play a central role in defining microbial 
 ecosystems activity irrespective of the microbial community identity. Our 
 modelling results suggest that mainly bioenergetics can define the activit
 y of microbial ecosystems at three different levels: (1) When a generalize
 d bioenergy-based model is used to describe the competition between a numb
 er of existing and postulated microbial metabolisms\, the prevailing succe
 ssful ones\, the reasons behind their success and some syntrophisms are co
 rrectly predicted. This has been applied to glucose fermentation and to ni
 trogen oxidation and reduction ecosystems. Metabolic activities appear to 
 be selected by maximum energy harvest rate. Based on this we postulate tha
 t it is primarily energetics who defined the today existing microbial meta
 bolisms\, pathway lengths and synergisms among them. (2) When specific ana
 erobic fermentative reactions of interest are studied under a thermodynami
 c perspective\, conclusions can be drawn out about their potential reversi
 bility. Quasi equilibrium calculations can be used to estimate concentrati
 on limits for the feasibility of pathway steps and compares with physiolog
 ical and kinetic limits. Based on this we postulate that in energy limited
  microbial ecosystems\, thermodynamic limitations can impose unfeasible in
 termediate metabolite concentrations rendering a metabolic pathway impossi
 ble or reversing it. (3) When anaerobic fermentation microbial ecosystems 
 are described as one mass and electron balanced metabolic network\, an opt
 imisation of the network for maximum energy yield can provide an accurate 
 prediction of the product formation. This has been successfully applied to
  the prediction of products and their shifts as a function of the environm
 ental pH. Based on this we postulate that in energy limited microbial ecos
 ystems such as fermentations\, a bioenergetic maximum energy harvest rate 
 criteria defines the product spectrum irrespective of the microbial commun
 ity.\n
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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