Fig 7. Impact of Mn²⁺ and heme on the expression of a number of selected genes in B. cereus in the biofilm growth phases.

The graphs show the expression of spoOA (A), abrB (B), sinI (C), sinR (D), sipW (E) and tasA (F) in the biofilm phase of GIHE 72–5. Biofilms were grown on SS coupons in Mn²⁺ and/or heme in BHI supplemented with glycerol at 30°C for 48 h. The fold change in expression relative to the expression in biofilm cells grown in BHI is shown. Each data point represents the average value obtained in at least two biological experiments; the error bars indicate standard deviation. To compare fold changes in expression under different conditions, one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test were performed. Groups marked with different letters in each growth condition display significant differences (p < 0.05).