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. 2022 Aug 1;18(8):e1010737. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010737

Fig 3. Type IV pilus and the flagellum mediate surface attachment.

Fig 3

A) Transcript levels of fliC (flagellar filament) and hofC (type IV pilus assembly platform protein), were significantly reduced in Ea1189Δ12 relative to WT Ea1189. crl (curli fimbriae activator) and fimA (fimbrial subunit) transcript levels were not significantly different among the two strains. B) Relative bacterial adhesion GFP intensity representing the level and C) Confocal z-stacked images (color inverted) of attachment within flow cells 1hr after incubation with Ea1189 and Ea1189Δ12 lacking or overexpressing fliC and/or hofC. The overexpression of hofC could restore attachment in Ea1189Δ12 to WT Ea1189 levels, however, this impact was lost if the overexpression occurred in the absence of fliC. WT Ea1189 showed considerable levels of cellular surface attachment, which diminished upon the overexpression of fliC and the deletion of hofC. The deletion of fliC and/or the overexpression of hofC did alter but did not abolish attachment in Ea1189. Error bars represent standard errors of the means. Tukey’s HSD (honestly significant.