RNase III coding genes modulate the cross-kingdom biofilm of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans

The rnc gene is implicated in the exopolysaccharide formation as well as the cariogenicity of S. mutans at post-transcriptional level while the DCR1 gene in C. albicans codes the sole functional RNase III and is capable of the non-coding RNAs production. By constructing the cross-kingdom biofilm of S. mutans and C. albicans, the current study provided new insights that the rnc gene prominently contributed to the biofilm formation by improving the exopolysaccharides synthesis of biofilm and the virulence as well as polysaccharide metabolism pathways of C. albicans, which facilitated the assembly of a cariogenic cross-kingdom biofilm and the generation of an augmented acidic milieu. Our data indicate that the RNase III coding genes may be potential targets for the prevention and treatment of early childhood caries (ECC).