(A) Collagen binding activity of the emaA mutant strain complemented with the full-length sequence (pKM9), pKMI163E, pKMI165E, pKMA164D, pKMI163E-A164D, pKMI163E-A164D-I165E, pKMI163A-I165A, pKMG162S, or pKMG162A (plasmids containing substitution mutations corresponding to amino acids 162-GIAIG-166) as measured by ELISA. The data are represented as a percentage binding relative to the emaA mutant strain complemented with the full-length sequence (pKM9). (B) Immunodot blot of the whole-cell lysate of 2 × 108 CFU of the wild-type (WT) strain VT1169 or the emaA mutant strain complemented with the full-length sequence (pKM9), empty plasmid (pKM1), and plasmids corresponding to substitutions of amino acids in the 162-GIAIG-166 sequence. (C) Immunodot blot of the whole-cell lysate of 2 × 108 CFU of the wild-type (WT) strain VT1169 or the emaA mutant strain complemented with the full-length sequence (pKM9), empty plasmid (pKM1), or pKMG162S (a plasmid containing substitution of glycine with serine at position 162 the EmaA sequence).