FIG 1.

Two distinct attaching phenotypes coexist in the planktonic cells of P. aeruginosa. (A) The attachment kinetics of planktonic P. aeruginosa cells [N_b(t)/N] in different growth phases always shows a two-exponent decrease. (i) lag phase (OD₆₀₀ ∼ 0.3), (ii) early exponential phase (OD₆₀₀ ∼ 0.6), (iii) exponential phase (OD₆₀₀ ∼ 0.8), (iv) later exponential phase (OD₆₀₀ ∼ 1.2), (v) stationary phase (OD₆₀₀ ∼ 1.8), and (vi) later stationary phase (OD₆₀₀ ∼ 2.2). The solid yellow line is a two-exponential fit to the experimental data (blue circles). (B and C) Fraction of cell numbers of the fast-attaching (N_fast) or slow-attaching (N_slow) phenotype (B) and corresponding attaching rate (α_fast or α_slow) (C) were attained by data fitted and analyzed (supplemental material), indicating attaching character of two obviously different phenotypes. Error bars depict the standard deviations from 3 biological replicates. Experiments in panel A were carried out at least three times, and results from one representative example are shown.