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. 2024 Apr 23;15(6):e03451-23. doi: 10.1128/mbio.03451-23

Fig 4.

Violin plots feature viscoelasticity across increasing mucin and e DNA concentrations, and mucin reduction. Correlation relationships between mucus viscoelasticity, mucin concentration, and DNA concentration are featured in illustrations.

Biopolymer concentration drives viscoelasticity but does not fully explain tobramycin tolerance. (A–D) Modulus of the complex viscosity (η*) of a 1 µm diameter microsphere moving through (A) SCFM2 with increasing concentrations of mucin (% wt/vol) without eDNA, increasing eDNA concentrations (mg/mL) in (B) 0.5% and (C) 2% (wt/vol) mucin SCFM2, or (D) 2% mucin SCFM2 before and after mucolytic reduction. Data are representative of n ≥ 3 technical replicates. The viscosity of water is indicated by the solid blue line and the complex viscosity at which mucus entangles and becomes gel-like (42) is indicated by the dashed gray line. + indicates the median for each sample. (E) Multivariate correlation of viscoelasticity to mucin and DNA concentration, and survival to mucin, DNA concentration, and viscoelasticity, represented by bar graph of Pearson’s r with the corresponding P-value within each bar. (F) Centered and scaled coefficients for the X variables used for partial least squares regression in modeling viscoelasticity and survival to tobramycin. (G) Visualization of the simulation results via grouped dot plots.