An M13 phagemid toolbox for engineering tuneable DNA communication in bacterial consortia

Abstract

Intercellular communication is essential for distributed genetic circuits operating across cells in multicellular consortia. While diverse signalling molecules have been employed--ranging from quorum sensing signals, secondary metabolites, and pheromones to peptides, and nucleic acids--phage-packaged DNA offers a highly programmable method for communicating information between cells. Here, we present a library of five M13 phagemid variants with distinct replication origins, including those based on the Standard European Vector Architecture (SEVA) family, designed to tune the growth and secretion dynamics of sender strains. We systematically characterize how intracellular phagemid copy number varies with cellular growth physiology and how this, in turn, affects phage secretion rates. In co-cultures, these dynamics influence resource competition and modulate communication outcomes between sender and receiver cells. Leveraging the intercellular CRISPR interference (i-CRISPRi) system, we quantify phagemid transfer frequencies and identify rapid-transfer variants that enable efficient, low-burden communication. The phagemid toolbox developed here expands the repertoire of available phagemids for DNA-payload delivery applications and for implementing intercellular communication in multicellular circuits.