Growth for CRISPRi mediated MSMEG_4272 gene silencing in M. smegmatis strains under standard culture conditions, with Atc added after 15 h. (a) Growth of WT::empty, with and without Atc (solid and open diamond, respectively), and WT::sgRNA, with and without Atc (solid and open triangle, respectively). (b) Growth of 4272ID::empty, with and without Atc (solid and open square, respectively), and 4272ID::sgRNA, with and without Atc (solid and open circle, respectively). Arrows indicate the time point at which Atc was added to appropriate cultures. Dot-dash lines indicate the time points at which cells were harvested to evaluate MSMEG_4272 expression levels using RT-qPCR. Data represents the mean of three biological replicates, and error bars indicate standard deviation.