Synthetic communities (SynComs) are valuable tools for addressing fundamental questions in microbial ecology regarding community assembly. They could also potentially aid in successfully manipulating microbial communities for clinical, biotechnological, and agricultural applications. SynCom design is complicated since interactions between microbes cannot be predicted based on their individual properties. Here, we aimed to assemble a higher-order SynCom from seed-endophytic bacteria isolated from native maize landraces. We screened co-cultures that included strains from the Bacilli class, and the Burkholderia and Pseudomonas genera since these taxa have been previously shown to be important for the fertility of native maize landraces. We developed a combinatorial, bottom-up strategy aimed at the detection of a complex colony architecture as an emergent collective property. Using this simplified approach, we assembled a SynCom composed of Bacillus pumilus NME155, Burkholderia contaminans XM7 and Pseudomonas sp. GW6. The strains exhibited positive and negative interactions when evaluated in pairs, but their higher-order assembly results in a complex colony architecture, which is considered a proxy of biofilm formation. This SynCom was named Xilonen after the Aztec goddess of young maize and fertility. The Xilonen SynCom will aid in studying the molecular and ecological basis mediating maize fertility.

中文翻译：

---

利用微生物群落的新兴特性：Xilonen SynCom 的组装

合成群落 (SynComs) 是解决微生物生态学中有关群落组装的基本问题的宝贵工具。它们还可能有助于成功地操纵微生物群落以用于临床、生物技术和农业应用。 SynCom 设计很复杂，因为无法根据微生物的个体特性来预测微生物之间的相互作用。在这里，我们的目标是用从本地玉米地方品种中分离出的种子内生细菌组装出更高阶的 SynCom。我们筛选了包括芽孢杆菌属、伯克霍尔德氏菌属和假单胞菌属菌株在内的共培养物，因为这些分类单元先前已被证明对本地玉米地方品种的生育力很重要。我们开发了一种组合的、自下而上的策略，旨在将复杂的殖民地建筑检测为新兴的集体财产。使用这种简化的方法，我们组装了由短小芽孢杆菌NME155、伯克霍尔德杆菌XM7 和假单胞菌组成的 SynCom 。 GW6。当成对评估时，这些菌株表现出正相互作用和负相互作用，但它们的高阶组装导致了复杂的菌落结构，这被认为是生物膜形成的代表。该 SynCom以阿兹特克年轻玉米和生育女神的名字命名为Xilonen 。 Xilonen SynCom将有助于研究调节玉米生育力的分子和生态基础。