Fig. 1. Pellicle productivity and phenotypic heterogeneity.
a Total colony forming unit per ml of WT and ∆eps in 48-h-old pellicles non-evolved (start) (n = 9), after experimental evolution at fifth (n = 8 populations), and tenth transfer (n = 7 populations). One population after tenth transfer was unable to form pellicle attributed to WT being totally outnumbered by ∆eps. Dots represent data obtained for all individual populations, while columns represent averages. Error bars correspond to standard error. Levels of Δeps at the start, fifth, and tenth transfers were 82%, 76% (p < 0.29 compared with start, pair-sample t-test), and 83% (p < 0.42 compared with start, pair-sample t-test). b Pellicles formed by WTmKATE Peps-GFP viewed under the confocal laser scanning microscope. Cells constitutively expressing mKATE are represented in magenta (OFF cells) and eps-expressing cells (ON cells) are represented in green. Scale bar 10 µm. (Color figure online).