Figure 4. SP-A-degrading ability is reduced inΔ lasB mutant bacteria in vitro.

(A) hSP-A (25 µg) was incubated with 1×10⁸ PAO1, ΔlasB or PDO240LasB bacteria for the indicated time intervals. hSP-A degradation was assessed by western blot analyses using 10 µl of SP-A/bacterial suspension. Image from one of the three independent experiments is shown. (B) Densitometry quantification of hSP-A degradation in A. (C) Production of LasB in the mixture was assessed by western blot analyses using 10 µl of supernatant from the hSP-A/bacterial suspension. Immunoblots were probed with anti-SP-A (A) or anti-LasB (C) antibody, respectively.