FIG 3.

Growth profiles of H. seropedicae SmR1 (parental strain) and the ΔphaP1, ΔphaP2, ΔphaP1 ΔphaP2 (ΔphaP1.2), and ΔphaC1 mutants under low-oxygen conditions. Strains were grown in NFbHPN-malate medium with 20 mM ammonium chloride and 37 mM dl-malate at 30°C and 100 rpm (orbital shaking) in glass flasks of 60-ml capacity filled with 50 ml of medium and closed with rubber caps. Results for SmR1 (black circles) and the ΔphaP1 (white circles), ΔphaP2 (black inverted triangles), ΔphaP1.2 (white triangles), and ΔphaC1 (black squares) mutants are shown. Bacterial growth was measured in function of the OD₆₀₀ from three independent cultures. The whiskers represent the minimal and maximal values of the SEs. After 24 h of growth, the strain SmR1 showed statistical significance against the other strains employed in the experiment (*, P value ≤ 0.01; **, P value ≤ 0.001) by the one-way ANOVA, post hoc Tukey test (P < 0.05).