Co-cultivation of anaerobic fungi with Clostridium acetobutylicum reveals potential lactate cross-feeding and bolsters butyrate and butanol production. Clostridium acetobutylicum

We have paired an anaerobic fungus from the rumen with C. acetobutylicum to examine how biomass could be converted to useful products when these microbes are synergistically combined. We grew C. acetobutylicum in spent fungal supernatant in a defined medium short-term in order examine the transcriptional and metabolic response of C. acetobutylicum to fungal co-cultivation. Metabolic cross-feeding occurred, bolstering butyrate and butanol production by the bacteria. We transcriptionally verified the metabolic pathways of C. acetobutylicum involved in a two-stage co-cultivation response, including the expression of core carbon metabolism genes.