Fig 8. Effect of gtfBC mutation on S. mutans biofilm architecture and viability in response to P85-formulated farnesol.

S. mutans gtfBC mutant was grown for 48 hours in the presence of P85 (A), P85F (B), F alone (C) or untreated (D) in BM media containing 0.25% sucrose and 0.25% glucose. Wells containing adherent biofilm were stained with LIVE/DEAD stain. Biofilm z-stacks of 1 μm cross-sectional images were acquired at 400× magnification by CLSM. Representative orthogonal images of each biofilm are shown. Scale bars = 20 μm. In a parallel experiment (n = 3 biological replicates), the average CFU/ml of each biofilm was also determined (E). All data are representative of 2 independent experiments. Error bars = SEM. *Denotes statistically-significant difference relative to untreated condition (p < 0.05), SNK Test.