FIG. 8.
Aggregation, competence, and/or adhesion in cross-complemented pilX/comPind and pilX/pilVind strains. (A) Aggregation in the pilX/comPind and pilX/pilVind mutants as observed by phase-contrast microscopy after 2 h of growth (scale bars, 10 μm). The pilX/pilXind strain was included as a control. (B) Adhesion of the pilX/comPind strain to HUVEC after 270 min of infection. The WT strain and the pilD and pilX mutants were included as controls. The results, expressed as CFU of adhering bacteria normalized for an inoculum of 107 CFU, are the means ± standard deviations from four to six independent experiments. (C) Quantification of the competence for DNA transformation in pilX/comPind and pilX/pilVind strains. The WT strain, the pilX/pilXind strain, and the pilD and pilX mutants were included as controls. Results are expressed as percentages of recipient cells transformed and are the means ± standard deviations from three to six independent experiments.