Figure 2

Fluorescence microscope of Bacillus subtilis cells carrying Smf-YFP. A) Strain ST21 growing exponentially, B) ST21 grown to competence, C) sporulating ST21 cells, D) strain ST21 grown to competence. First panel shows CFP channel, second panel shows YFP channel, third panel show overlay of ComK-CFP (red) and Smf-YFP (green). E) Strain ST33 grown to competence. First panel CFP, second panel YFP, third panel overlay of ComGA-CFP (red) and Smf-YFP (green). F) Total absence of both polar and cytosolic Smf-YFP localization in ΔcomK cells treated like wild type cells grown to competence (strain ST32). G) few ΔcomGA cells grown to competence contain polar Smf-YFP foci (strain ST34), H) few ΔcomEC cells grown to competence have polar Smf-YFP foci (strain ST35), I) Cells expressing Smf-YFP in a recA null background (strain ST 36). Green arrowheads indicate the polar position of Smf-YFP in (B), (D), (H), and (I), and polar Smf-YFP and ComGA-CFP in (E); grey arrowheads indicate cytosolic Smf-YFP without polar foci; white arrowheads indicate central foci of Smf-YFP; grey bars 2 μm.