Figure 3
PrtA alters motility and biofilm formation.
(a) Comparison of growth patterns of the prtA mutant with wild type X. fastidiosa on a PD3 agar plate, indicating differential cell aggregation. (b) Colony morphologies displaying increased twitching motility of prtA over wild type X. fastidiosa strain Temecula1 grown on PD3 for eight days. Notice the increased fringe zone formed by cells performing twitching motility on the colony periphery of prtA mutant cells. (c) Minimal biofilm formation by the prtA mutant in broth culture, unlike wild type X. fastidiosa. (d) Quantification of biofilm formation at the air-liquid interface using crystal violet staining after seven days growth in liquid PD3 at 95 rpm and 28 °C. Average values (n = 8) and standard deviations are plotted (*p-value < 0.001, two-tailed T-test).
