A de novo matrix for macroscopic living materials from bacteria

Summary ParagraphEngineered living materials (ELMs) are composites of living cells embedded in a biopolymer matrix that combine the desirable properties of natural biomaterials with non-natural, tailored properties. ELMs with a wide range of sophisticated biological functions have been created by engineering the embedded cells using synthetic biology. Engineering a de novo biomolecular matrix would offer control over material assembly, structure, and composition, thus enabling us to grow macroscopic ELMs with customizable mechanical properties. However, we have lacked the genetic tools and design rules to genetically encode a synthetic matrix that programs collective cell self-organization into macroscopic structures. Here we report growth of macroscopic ELMs from Caulobacter crescentus cells that display and secrete an engineered self-interacting protein. This protein formed an extracellular de novo matrix and assembled cells into hierarchically-ordered, centimeter-scale ELMs. We showed that the mechanical, catalytic, and morphological properties of these ELMs can be tuned through genetic modification of the matrix. Our work identifies novel genetic tools, design and assembly rules for growing macroscopic ELMs with both wide-ranging mechanical properties and customizable functions. We anticipate the modularity of this approach will permit the incorporation of different protein polymers in the de novo matrix, thus allowing to generate ELMs with a variety of desired structures and compositions of the bulk material. We envision specific matrix properties that can be combined synergistically with existing cellular functions to greatly expand the opportunities for ELMs in human health, energy, and the environment.