%0 Journal Article
%T Strategies to enhance production of metabolites in microbial co-culture systems.
%A Guo L
%A Xi B
%A Lu L
%J Bioresour Technol
%V 406
%N 0
%D 2024 Jun 26
%M 38942211
%F 11.889
%R 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131049
%X Increasing evidence shows that microbial synthesis plays an important role in producing high value-added products. However, microbial monoculture generally hampers metabolites production and limits scalability due to the increased metabolic burden on the host strain. In contrast, co-culture is a more flexible approach to improve the environmental adaptability and reduce the overall metabolic burden. The well-defined co-culturing microbial consortia can tap their metabolic potential to obtain yet-to-be discovered and pre-existing metabolites. This review focuses on the use of a co-culture strategy and its underlying mechanisms to enhance the production of products. Notably, the significance of comprehending the microbial interactions, diverse communication modes, genetic information, and modular co-culture involved in co-culture systems were highlighted. Furthermore, it addresses the current challenges and outlines potential future directions for microbial co-culture. This review provides better understanding the diversity and complexity of the interesting interaction and communication to advance the development of co-culture techniques.