FIG. 6.
Protein A distribution in dividing S. aureus cells requires a functional LPXTG sorting signal. S. aureus mutants lacking the protein A gene (spa) were transformed with plasmid encoding wild-type protein A (Spa) (A) or a variant lacking the LPXTG motif (SpaΔLPXTG) (B). Laser scanning confocal microscopy images (z series with 50-nm increments) of S. aureus mutants lacking the protein A gene (spa) or the sortase A gene (srtA). Protein A and cell wall images of pentapeptide precursors were collected as described in the legend of Fig. 3. Aggregate data were used to build three-dimensional models of protein A deposition in the cell wall, which are shown as diagrams in the lower right corners of the panels.