ACACCCGAAATAGTATTG GAAAGTTGGTATTTGAAAGCATCCTT ATTTAGTAGCGAATACACTTCATCTTTGA GCTTAGCGTATATTTATGCTGATGGA TTTAGCCAAGCCTTGACGAACT GTATGTACAATAAGGAATTAGTGGAAAAGG CTGTTGTTTAGCTTTATTTTGTGCTTCTcDNA Synthesis and Quantitative Real-Time PCRPrimers for quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) detection of 16S rRNA, icaA, icaR, nuc1 and nuc 2 were designed using Primer Express 2.0 software (Applied Biosystems, BL-8040 biological activity Foster City, CA) and are listed in Table 2. Coding sequences for the target genes were obtained from the genome sequences of the S. aureus strains Newman (GenBank accession number NC_009641.1), NCTC 8325 (GenBank accession number NC_007795.1), TCH1516 (GenBank accession number NC_010079.1), USA300 FPR3757 (GenBank accession number NC_007793.1), JKD6008 (GenBank accession number NC_017341.1), ST398 SO385 (GenBank accession number AM990992.1), 08BA02176 (GenBank accession number CP003808.1), and LGA251 (GenBank accession number NC_017349.1), and aligned using Geneious 5.0.2 (Biomatters,available from http://www.geneious.com/) to generate consensus sequences for primer design. Primer efficiencies were tested using dilutions of purified genomic DNA and determined to be similar for all S. aureus strains listed in Table 1. Total RNA samples were treated with DNaseI to remove any residual genomic DNA. Briefly, 300 ng RNA was incubated with 1 Amplification Grade DNaseI (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) in a total volume of 10 for 15 minutes at 25?C. The DNaseI enzyme was inactivated by addition of 1 25 mM EDTA and incubation at 65?C for 10 minutes. The DNase-treated RNA sample was reverse transcribed using 100 ng random primers and SuperScriptIII reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The resulting cDNA was diluted 1:250 (for 16S rRNA qPCR) or 1:50 (for other targets) in water and 5 of these dilutions was used for qPCR in reactions containing 400 nM primers and SYBR Green PCR Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) in a 25 reaction volume. qPCR runs were performed on an Applied Biosystems 7300 Real Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Reactions lacking reverse transcriptase enzyme were performed to verify the absence of genomic DNA contamination and dissociation curve analysis of qPCR products was performed to confirm the lack of nonspecific products. Relative expression of the icaA, icaR, nuc1 and nuc2 mRNA was determined using the 2-Ct method [55] using the 16S rRNA as the endogenous control. Analysis was performed using the Sequence Detection Software version 1.3.1 with RQ Study Application (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Statistical analysis was performed on the data from each primer set using a one-way ANOVA with a post-hoc comparison of the means of each strain using the TukeyKramer test using GraphPad Prism 5.04 for Windows (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA). A P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.Production of Extracellular ProteasesProtease activity in conditioned culture media was assessed using a fluorescence-based assay for protease activity. Overnight cultures of all strains were diluted to an OD600 of 0.05 in TSB-GN (or TSB-G for S. epidermidis strains). Biofilm cultures were grown in 3-Methyladenine site 6-well plates as described above forPLOS ONE | www.plosone.orgSwine MRSA Isolates form Robust Biofilmshours and the conditioned media recovered. Planktonic cultures were started at an OD600 of 0.05 and grown for 22 hours at 37?C in a shaking incubator. Bacter.ACACCCGAAATAGTATTG GAAAGTTGGTATTTGAAAGCATCCTT ATTTAGTAGCGAATACACTTCATCTTTGA GCTTAGCGTATATTTATGCTGATGGA TTTAGCCAAGCCTTGACGAACT GTATGTACAATAAGGAATTAGTGGAAAAGG CTGTTGTTTAGCTTTATTTTGTGCTTCTcDNA Synthesis and Quantitative Real-Time PCRPrimers for quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) detection of 16S rRNA, icaA, icaR, nuc1 and nuc 2 were designed using Primer Express 2.0 software (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) and are listed in Table 2. Coding sequences for the target genes were obtained from the genome sequences of the S. aureus strains Newman (GenBank accession number NC_009641.1), NCTC 8325 (GenBank accession number NC_007795.1), TCH1516 (GenBank accession number NC_010079.1), USA300 FPR3757 (GenBank accession number NC_007793.1), JKD6008 (GenBank accession number NC_017341.1), ST398 SO385 (GenBank accession number AM990992.1), 08BA02176 (GenBank accession number CP003808.1), and LGA251 (GenBank accession number NC_017349.1), and aligned using Geneious 5.0.2 (Biomatters,available from http://www.geneious.com/) to generate consensus sequences for primer design. Primer efficiencies were tested using dilutions of purified genomic DNA and determined to be similar for all S. aureus strains listed in Table 1. Total RNA samples were treated with DNaseI to remove any residual genomic DNA. Briefly, 300 ng RNA was incubated with 1 Amplification Grade DNaseI (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) in a total volume of 10 for 15 minutes at 25?C. The DNaseI enzyme was inactivated by addition of 1 25 mM EDTA and incubation at 65?C for 10 minutes. The DNase-treated RNA sample was reverse transcribed using 100 ng random primers and SuperScriptIII reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The resulting cDNA was diluted 1:250 (for 16S rRNA qPCR) or 1:50 (for other targets) in water and 5 of these dilutions was used for qPCR in reactions containing 400 nM primers and SYBR Green PCR Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) in a 25 reaction volume. qPCR runs were performed on an Applied Biosystems 7300 Real Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Reactions lacking reverse transcriptase enzyme were performed to verify the absence of genomic DNA contamination and dissociation curve analysis of qPCR products was performed to confirm the lack of nonspecific products. Relative expression of the icaA, icaR, nuc1 and nuc2 mRNA was determined using the 2-Ct method [55] using the 16S rRNA as the endogenous control. Analysis was performed using the Sequence Detection Software version 1.3.1 with RQ Study Application (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Statistical analysis was performed on the data from each primer set using a one-way ANOVA with a post-hoc comparison of the means of each strain using the TukeyKramer test using GraphPad Prism 5.04 for Windows (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA). A P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.Production of Extracellular ProteasesProtease activity in conditioned culture media was assessed using a fluorescence-based assay for protease activity. Overnight cultures of all strains were diluted to an OD600 of 0.05 in TSB-GN (or TSB-G for S. epidermidis strains). Biofilm cultures were grown in 6-well plates as described above forPLOS ONE | www.plosone.orgSwine MRSA Isolates form Robust Biofilmshours and the conditioned media recovered. Planktonic cultures were started at an OD600 of 0.05 and grown for 22 hours at 37?C in a shaking incubator. Bacter.