FIG. 4.

Loss of PIA production in S. aureus ATCC 35556Δica::tet. Cell surface extracts from overnight cultures of S. aureus ATCC 35556 (A1), ATCC 35556Δica::tet (A2), ATCC 35556Δica::tet carrying pSC18 (A3), S. epidermidis ATCC 35984 (RP62A) (B1), S. epidermidis O-47 (B2), and S. carnosus TM300 (B3) were treated with proteinase K, and PIA production was detected with an anti-S. epidermidis PIA antibody, showing that PIA is no longer produced in the ica knockout strain and is restored in the complemented mutant.