Figure 6
The phenotypic heterogeneity in expression of K1 capsule, acid resistance systems and regulators AutA and AutR during DE205B infection.
(A) The heat map summarized the transcription changes of acid resistance systems, K1 capsule determinant and regulators (AutA and AutR) during DE205B infection by RT-PCR. The total RNA of DE205B were isolated from infected DF-1 cells, infected HD11 and blood for infected ducks at specific time points. RT-PCR data for heat map represent mean relative expression of three biological replicates. (B) Detection of K1 capsule expression during DE205B infection by immunofluorescence assay to support the accuracy of the above RT-PCR results. After the binding of K1 capsule-specific antibody, K1 capsule were visualized by FITC-labeled goat anti-rabbit secondary IgG and observed using the confocal laser scanning microscope. The infected DF-1 and HD11 cells were incubated with DAPI and Phalloidin (actin stain; TRITC conjugated) to distinguish cell boundaries. Scale bar = 10 μm. Thick and thin arrows highlighted intracellular and extracellualr (adhesive) bacteria, respectively. The experiment was conducted three times and the representative fields of observation are shown for each condition.
