Table 1. Oligonucleotide primers used in this study.

Target	Primers (forward/reverse, 5'–3')
Primer extension
aphA	/GCTCTTACTGGCGCTTGAG
opaR	/ATCCATTTTCCTTGCCATTTG
VPA1027	/CTGCATGCTAATCTCCTAGAGC
VPA1043	/GATTTGAAGCTTTAATTATTAACAT
VPA1044	/CCGCTATCGCTGCTATTT
LacZ fusion
VPA1027	GCGCGTCGACTATTACCTTACTTGCCTCTCGG /GCGCGAATTCTGCTTCACGGTCCATTGC
VPA1043	GCGCGTCGACTTTGTTGATAGGTGGTATTGTG /ATATGAATTCTGAGCGTCCGAAGGTTAC
VPA1044	GCGCGTCGACGGGACAAAGCAAGCTCATTC /ATATGAATTCAGCGGAGTCTTGTTTATTAACG
Protein production
aphA	AGCGGGATCCATGTCATTACCACACGTAATC /AGCGAAGCTTTTAACCAATCACTTCAAGTTC
opaR	AGCGGGATCCATGGACTCAATTGCAAAGAG /AGCGAAGCTTTTAGTGTTCGCGATTGTAG
Complementation of mutant #
aphA	GATTCTAGAA G G A G G AATTCACCATGTCATTACCACACGTAATC/GACAAGCTTTTAACCAATCACTTCAAGTTC
opaR	GATTCTAGAA G G A G G AATTCACCATGGACTCAATTGCAAAGAG /GACAAGCTTTTAGTGTTCGCGATTGTAG
EMSA
VPA1027	TATTACCTTACTTGCCTCTCGG/TGCTTCACGGTCCATTGC
VPA1043	AGCGGAGTCTTGTTTATTAACG/CGAGAAAATCTAACCGAAG
VPA1044	TTGTGGAAACTCGTTATGG/TTGACGGGTGAAAGTTTGAG
16S rRNA	GACACGGTCCAGACTCCTAC/GGTGCTTCTTCTGTCGCTAAC
DNase I footprinting
VPA1027	GAGTTGCTTCATAATAAC/GTTCCGCTGTCGCTTCAC TATTACCTTACTTGCCTCTCGG/CGTCTTACCATTAAGAATTGC
VPA1043	AGCGGAGTCTTGTTTATTAACG/CGAGAAAATCTAACCGAAG
VPA1044	TTGTGGAAACTCGTTATGG/TTGACGGGTGAAAGTTTGAG

#, amplification of the aphA or opaR coding region together with a ribosome binding site consensus AGGAGG (underlined) and a spacer AATTCACC (bold and italic).