IP Library Granted Patent US 12709585
Granted Patent B2
US 12709585 · App. 18/972,482 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Identification of soil bacteria-enriching agents and methods of use thereof

Inventors: Gözde Demirer (Altadena, CA); Chiara Berruto (Pasadena, CA)
Assignee: California Institute of Technology
C05F17/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12709585
App. No.
18/972,482
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and devices for identifying soil bacteria-enriching agents that selectively enrich a desired species of bacteria in a soil microbiome. In some embodiments, the soil bacteria-enriching agent comprises a carbon substrate and/or a chemoeffector. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods of enriching a desired species of bacteria in a soil microbiome using one or more soil bacteria-enriching agents.

Claims (26)

1 . A method of engineering a soil microbiome, the method comprising:

a) selecting one or more carbon substrates that are able to enrich a desired bacterial species in a soil microbiome as compared to enrichment of one or more different bacteria in the soil microbiome;

b) selecting one or more chemoattractants that are able to attract the desired bacterial species to the soil microbiome as compared to attraction of one or more different bacteria to the soil microbiome; and

c) applying the one or more selected carbon substrates and chemoattractants to soil comprising a soil microbiome comprising the desired bacteria, wherein

application of the one or more of the selected carbon substrates and/or chemoattractants to the soil comprising a soil microbiome enriches the concentration of the desired bacteria in the soil microbiome as compared to the concentration of the one or more desired bacteria prior to applying the one or more selected carbon substrates and/or chemoattractants to the soil.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the selected carbon substrates and/or chemoattractants comprises adding exogenous carbon substrates and/or chemoattractants to the soil comprising the soil microbiome.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired bacterial species comprises a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR).

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the PGPR comprises one or more of: Pseudomonas putida, Azotobacter vinelandii, Bacillus subtilis or Azospirillum brasilense , or any combination thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected chemoattractant is one or more of: phenylethylamine (PEA), butyric acid, putrescine, benzoate, octopamine, maltitol, N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a-methyl-D-galactoside, malate, glutamic acid, glycerol, D-sorbitol, erythritol, D-mannitol or a-D-lactose, and/or any combination thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected carbon substrate is one or more of L-asparagine, a-hydroxyglutaric acid-g-lactone, inosine, ala-gly, phenylethylamine, g-amino-N-butyric acid, d-amino valeric acid, capric acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, D-ribono-1,4-lactone, L-arginine, hydroxy-L-proline, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-lysine, L-valine, putrescine, D-saccharic acid, mucic acid, 2-aminoethanol, phenylethylamine, benzoate, methyl-D-galactoside, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, D-trehalose, D-xylose, maltotriose, D-cellobiose, a-cyclodextrin, b-cyclodextrin, inulin, arbutin, D-mannitol, b-methyl-D-glucoside, g-cyclodextrin, dextrin, gentiobiose, D-sorbitol, D-ribose, maltose, amygdalin, maltitol, r glucosamine, D-galactose, i-erythritol, D-melezitose, xylitol, melibionic acid, a-methyl-D-galactoside, lactulose, L-rhamnose, N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, erythritol, propionic acid, D-tartaric acid or D-malic acid and/or any combination thereof.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired bacteria comprises Pseudomonas putida and the selected carbon substrate and/or chemoattractant comprises one or more of: L-asparagine, a-hydroxyglutaric acid-g-lactone, inosine, ala-gly, phenylethylamine, g-amino-N-butyric acid, d-amino valeric acid, capric acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, D-ribono-1,4-lactone, L-arginine, hydroxy-L-proline, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-lysine, L-valine, putrescine, D-saccharic acid, mucic acid, 2-aminoethanol, butyric acid, benzoate or octopamine, and/or any combination thereof.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired bacteria comprises Azotobacter vinelandii and the carbon substrate and/or chemoattractant comprises one or more of: D-galactose, i-erythritol, D-melezitose, xylitol, melibionic acid, a-methyl-D-galactoside, lactulose, L-rhamnose, N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, D-mannitol or erythritol and/or any combination thereof.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired bacteria comprises Bacillus subtilis and the carbon substrate and/or chemoattractant comprises one or more of: methyl-D-galactoside, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, D-trehalose, D-xylose, maltotriose, D-cellobiose, a-cyclodextrin, b-cyclodextrin, inulin, arbutin, D-mannitol, b-methyl-D-glucoside, g-cyclodextrin, dextrin, gentiobiose, D-sorbitol, D-ribose, maltose, amygdalin, maltitol, N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a-methyl-D-galactoside, malate, glutamic acid, glycerol or glucosamine and/or any combination thereof.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired bacteria comprises Azospirillum brasilense and the carbon substrate and/or chemoattractant comprises one or more of: propionic acid, D-tartaric acid or D-malic acid and/or any combination thereof, to the soil comprising a soil microbiome.

11 . A method of selecting a chemoattractant that is able to enrich the growth of a desired bacterial species in a soil microbiome, the method comprising:

measuring the attraction of the desired bacterial species and at least one different bacterial species to one or more candidate chemoattractants, and

selecting a chemoattractant that is able to more strongly attract the desired bacterial species as compared to the at least one different species of bacteria.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the desired bacterial species comprises a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR).

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the PGPR comprises one or more of: Pseudomonas putida, Azotobacter vinelandii, Bacillus subtilis or Azospirillum brasilense , or any combination thereof.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the candidate chemoattractant comprises one or more of: phenylethylamine (PEA), butyric acid, putrescine, benzoate, octopamine, maltitol, N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a-methyl-D-galactoside, malate, glutamic acid, glycerol, D-sorbitol, erythritol, D-mannitol or a-D-lactose, and/or any combination thereof.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein measuring the attraction of a desired bacterial species to a candidate chemoattractant comprises measuring the chemotactic index (I30) of the desired bacteria to the candidate chemoattractant.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein selecting a chemoattractant comprises selecting at least one candidate chemoattractant having an I30 more than 0.5.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting a chemoattractant comprises selecting at least one chemoattractant having an I30 more than 0.5 toward the desired bacterial species, wherein the selected chemoattractant has an I30 of less than 0.5 towards one or more of the at least one different bacterial species.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the desired bacteria comprises Pseudomonas putida and the selected chemoattractant comprises one or more of: phenylethylamine (PEA), butyric acid, putrescine, benzoate or octopamine, and/or any combination thereof.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the desired bacteria comprises Azotobacter vinelandii and the selected chemoattractant comprises one or more of: erythritol, D-mannitol or a-D-lactose, and/or any combination thereof.

20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the desired bacteria comprises Bacillus subtilis and the selected chemoattractant comprises one or more of: maltitol, N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, a-methyl-D-galactoside, malate, glutamic acid, glycerol or D-sorbitol and/or any combination thereof.