Multi-omics Analyses Reveal Synergistic Carbohydrate Metabolism in Streptococcus mutans-Candida albicans Mixed-Species Biofilms

Abstract

Candida albicans , a major opportunistic fungal pathogen, is frequently found together with Streptococcus mutans in dental biofilms associated with severe childhood caries (tooth decay), a prevalent pediatric oral disease. However, the impact of this cross-kingdom relationship on C. albicans remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we employed a novel quantitative proteomics approach in conjunction with transcriptomic profiling to unravel molecular pathways of C. albicans when cocultured with S. mutans in mixed biofilms.