FIGURE 5:

As biofilms mature, partial biofilm removal is required to promote MT repolymerization. (A) Experimental setup in which the local cell density is decreased by scraping off some cells using a micropipette tip (Supplemental Figure S1). (B) Before local cell removal, 40 imaged fields (20 × 2) were stitched together to show that EB1-GFP (strain SO1563) was dispersed. Representative examples of cells; see Supplemental PowerPoint S1 for entire imaged region. (C) Representative examples of cells 30 min after partial biofilm removal, showing EB1-GFP at comets (zone 1), at bars (zone 2), or remaining dispersed (zone 3). See Supplemental PowerPoint S2 for the entire imaged region. To generate the mature biofilm, cells were grown at 32°C for 6 h, followed by 30 h at 23 ± 2°C. Scale bar, 10 μm.