Figure 3.

Expression of fibrinogen and its contribution to Srr1-mediated GBS attachment to cervicovaginal epithelia in vitro. A, Adherence of WT NCTC 10/84 or isogenic Δsrr1 to epithelial cells (MOI of 1) with or without the addition of exogenous fibrinogen (20 µg/mL). Data were analyzed by Student t test. *P < .05; **P < .005; ***P < .001. B, Immunofluorescence staining of endogenous fibrinogen (red) on all 3 cell types, and nuclei were visualized with DAPI (blue). (Magnification = 630×, scale bar = 20 µm). Experiments were repeated at least twice with 4 replicates, and data from a representative experiment are shown. Abbreviations: DAPI, 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; GBS, group B streptococcus; MOI, multiplicity of infection; Srr, serine-rich repeat; srr, serine-rich repeat gene; WT, wild type.