The new chassis in the flask: Advances in Vibrio natriegens biotechnology research
Matthew Lima, Charandatta Muddana, Zhengyang Xiao, Anindita Bandyopadhyay, Pramod P. Wangikar, Himadri B. Pakrasi, Yinjie Tang
Abstract
Biotechnology has been built on the foundation of a small handful of well characterized and well-engineered organisms. Recent years have seen a breakout performer gain attention as a new entrant into the bioengineering toolbox: Vibrio natriegens . This review covers recent research efforts into making V. natriegens a biotechnology platform, using a large language model (LLM) and knowledge graph to expedite the literature survey process. Scientists have made advancements in research pertaining to the fundamental metabolic characteristics of V. natriegens , development and characterization of synthetic biology tools, systems biology analysis and metabolic modeling, bioproduction and metabolic engineering, and microbial ecology. Each of these subcategories has relevance to the future of V. natriegens for bioengineering applications. In this review, we cover these recent advancements and offer context for the impact they may have on the field, highlighting benefits and drawbacks of using this organism. From examining the recent bioengineering research, it appears that V. natriegens is on the precipice of becoming a platform bacterium for the future of biotechnology. • Vibrio natriegens ( Vn) has a fast metabolism with strong reducing power. • Production metrics and metabolic modeling offer insights into Vn biomanufacturing. • Industrial challenges for Vn include a bipartite genome, high sodium and O 2 demands. • Vn is a model system to study fast growth, bioremediation, and microbial ecology. • A knowledge graph generated by LLM can expedite the surveying of Vn literature.