Engineering Bacillus subtilis for the formation of a durable living biocomposite material
Engineered living materials (ELMs) are a fast-growing area of research that combine approaches in synthetic biology and material science. Here, we engineer B. subtilis to become a living component of a silica material composed of self-assembling protein scaffolds for functionalization and cross-linking of cells. B. subtilis was engineered to display SpyTags on polar flagella for cell attachment and cross-linking of SpyCatcher modified secreted scaffolds. Through deletion of the autolysis LytC, endospore limited B. subtilis cells become a structural component of the material with spores for long-term storage of genetic programming. Known silica biomineralization peptides were screened and scaffolds designed for silica polymerization to fabricate biocomposite materials with enhanced mechanical properties. We show that the resulting ELM can be regenerated from a piece of silica material and that new functions can be readily incorporated by co-cultivation of engineered B. subtilis strains. We believe that this work will serve as a framework for the future design of resilient ELMs as functional, self-healing materials for use as responsive coatings and plasters.