Investigating the Transcriptome of in a Dual-Species Biofilm Model

is an opportunistic pathogen found throughout multiple body sites and is frequently co-isolated from infections of the respiratory tract and oral cavity with Herein we present the first report of the effects that elicits on the transcriptome. Dual-species biofilms containing and mutants defective in or were optimised and characterised, followed by transcriptional profiling of by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). Altered phenotypes in mutants revealed specific interaction profiles between fungus and bacteria. The major adhesion and virulence proteins Als3 and Ece1, respectively, were found to have substantial effects on the transcriptome in early and mature biofilms. Despite this, deletion of did not adversely affect biofilm formation or the ability of to interact with hyphae. Upregulated genes in dual-species biofilms corresponded to multiple gene ontology terms, including those attributed to virulence, biofilm formation and protein binding such as and multiple heat-shock protein genes. This shows that pushes towards a more virulent genotype, helping us to understand the driving forces behind the increased severity of - infections.