Figure 7. Interactions of the WT piliated strain P1/7 and derived mutants with porcine BMEC.
The mutants showed similar levels of adherence to (A) and invasion of (B) porcine BMEC. Data for the WT strain (adherence = 1.59×105±1.42×104 recovered CFU/well; invasion = 1.79×103±1.54×102 recovered CFU/well) have been normalized to 100%. Data are from at least 4 independent experiments. Error bars show the standard error of the mean. No significant differences were found between the WT and the srtF cluster mutant strains, while the ΔsrtA mutant, used as an internal control, showed significant differences in both adherence and invasion (t-test, P<0.05, indicated by the asterisk).