Journal:
Article Title: Type IV Pili and the CcpA Protein Are Needed for Maximal Biofilm Formation by the Gram-Positive Anaerobic Pathogen Clostridium perfringens ▿
doi: 10.1128/IAI.00692-08
Figure Lengend Snippet: Appearances of biofilms formed by wild-type and mutant strains of C. perfringens on glass and plastic surfaces. The FE-SEM images show the relatively flat surfaces of biofilms formed by the wild-type (A), pilT mutant (C), and pilC mutant (E) strains. (A) The right side of the image shows the surface of the biofilm; in the center, the biofilm has been torn away, revealing a dense mixture of cells and matrix material. (C) The biofilm is present on the left side of the image, and the right side shows the glass surface used as a substrate for biofilm formation. (E) The entire surface shown is covered by a biofilm, with a crack in the surface visible on the right side. The material beneath the crack appears to be less thick and dense than the material under the surface of the biofilm formed by the wild-type strain shown in panel A. (B, D, and F) Laser confocal microscopy images of fluorescently labeled (Syto 9 and propidium iodide) wild-type (B), pilT mutant (D), and pilC mutant (F) bacteria. Representative images of quadruplicate samples are shown as single x-y sections. The white lines in each image indicate the locations of the z sections shown at the top or right edge of the corresponding figure. The thicknessesof the z sections shown at the edges correspond to the depths of the biofilms. Using compiled z sections, the thicknesses of the biofilms in panels B, D, and F were between 30 and 40 μm. Panels A, C, and E, bars = 10 μm; panels B, D, and F, bars = 20 μm.
Article Snippet: The standard culture conditions were incubation in a Coy anaerobic chamber (Coy Laboratory Products, Grass Lake, MI) at 37°C. table ft1 table-wrap mode="anchored" t5 TABLE 1. caption a7 C. perfringens strain Relevant characteristics Source ATCC 13124 Type A strain, type strain, gangrene ATCC JGS 1495 Type C strain G. Songer JGS 1721 Type D strain G. Songer JGS 1987 Type E strain G. Songer SM101 Type A strain, food poisoning, transformable 58 SM120 ccpA mutant derivative of SM101 52 SM125 pilC mutant derivative of strain 13, TFP − , nonmotile 53 SM126 pilT mutant derivative of strain 13, TFP − , nonmotile 53 13 Type A strain, gangrene isolate, highly transformable 29 Open in a separate window Bacterial strains used in this study
Techniques: Mutagenesis, Confocal Microscopy, Labeling, Bacteria