Role of GntR family regulatory gene SCO1678 in gluconate metabolism in streptomyces coelicolor M145

Here we report functional characterization of the Streptomyces coelicolor M145 gene SCO1678, which encodes a GntR-like regulator of the FadR subfamily. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that SCO1678 is part of putative operon (gnt) involved in gluconate metabolism. Combining the results of SCO1678 knockout, transcriptional analysis of gnt operon, and Sco1678 protein-DNA electromobility shift assays, we established that Sco1678 protein controls the gluconate operon. It does so via repression of its transcription from a single promoter located between genes SCO1678 and SCO1679. The knockout also influenced, in a medium-dependent manner, the production of secondary metabolites by S. coelicolor. In comparison to the wild type, on gluconate-containing minimal medium, the SCO1678 mutant produced much less actinorhodin and accumulated a yellow-colored pigment, likely to be the cryptic polyketide coelimycin. Possible links between gluconate metabolism and antibiotic production are discussed

Instruments for managing the EU labour market in the face of the COVID-19 crisis

Purpose: The article presents in a multifaceted manner the instruments used in the EU member states to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the labour market. Design/Methodology/Approach: Theoretical issues were examined on the basis of the analysis of available source literature on labour market economics and risk management. The research methods used in this paper include, critical analysis of the source literature, the method of comparative analysis and secondary data analysis. Findings: The article identifies actions taken by the EU member states to support the labour market and to develop a model of instruments intended for EU authorities and member states to reduce the risk of labour market disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical Implications: The analysis and evaluation carried out in the article indicated that risk management on the EU labour market during the pandemic requires integrated protective measures. The results obtained may be used to formulate a long-term strategy for the EU labour market and programmes to counter the effects of the crisis. Originality/value: The issues as presented in the article concerning the instruments used to manage the EU labour market in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been studied in Polish and foreign literature.peer-reviewe

Molecular Basis of Resistance to Muramidase and Cationic Antimicrobial Peptide Activity of Lysozyme in Staphylococci

It has been shown recently that modification of peptidoglycan by O-acetylation renders pathogenic staphylococci resistant to the muramidase activity of lysozyme. Here, we show that a Staphylococcus aureus double mutant defective in O-acetyltransferase A (OatA), and the glycopeptide resistance-associated two-component system, GraRS, is much more sensitive to lysozyme than S. aureus with the oatA mutation alone. The graRS single mutant was resistant to the muramidase activity of lysozyme, but was sensitive to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) such as the human lysozyme-derived peptide 107R-A-W-V-A-W-R-N-R115 (LP9), polymyxin B, or gallidermin. A comparative transcriptome analysis of wild type and the graRS mutant revealed that GraRS controls 248 genes. It up-regulates global regulators (rot, sarS, or mgrA), various colonization factors, and exotoxin-encoding genes, as well as the ica and dlt operons. A pronounced decrease in the expression of the latter two operons explains why the graRS mutant is also biofilm-negative. The decrease of the dlt transcript in the graRS mutant correlates with a 46.7% decrease in the content of esterified d-alanyl groups in teichoic acids. The oatA/dltA double mutant showed the highest sensitivity to lysozyme; this mutant completely lacks teichoic acid–bound d-alanine esters, which are responsible for the increased susceptibility to CAMPs and peptidoglycan O-acetylation. Our results demonstrate that resistance to lysozyme can be dissected into genes mediating resistance to its muramidase activity (oatA) and genes mediating resistance to CAMPs (graRS and dlt). The two lysozyme activities act synergistically, as the oatA/dltA or oatA/graRS double mutants are much more susceptible to lysozyme than each of the single mutants

Dysfunctions in the Recruitment and Selection Process in Contact Center

The article demonstrates possible alternatives of the progress in the recruitment and selection process in the contact center branch. The following publication also provides a critical view on the solutions applied. Additionally, it comprises a summary analysing types of dysfunctions possibly anticipating during the recruitment and selection process in the contact center branch

The Role and Competence Change of Call/Contact Center Managers

The following article is an attempt to indicate which competences among call/contact center managers were of crucial importance at the earliest stage of the branch development in Poland. It also aims at presenting the roles changing among the managers over time and designating which abilities of call/contact center managers may be regarded as essential in times of crisis and therefore worth improving in terms of challenges lying ahead.Artykuł jest próbą wskazania jakie kompetencje wśród menadżerów call/contact center były istotne na początku powstawania branży w Polsce. Przedstawienie jak z czasem ulegały zmianie role pełnione przez zarządzających. A także ukazanie jakie umiejętności menadżerów call/contact center w dobie kryzysu mogą okazać się kluczowe i tym samym, które warto rozwijać z punktu widzenia wyzwań stojących przed tym środowiskiem

The Presence of Peptidoglycan O-Acetyltransferase in Various Staphylococcal Species Correlates with Lysozyme Resistance and Pathogenicity

Human-pathogenic bacteria that are able to cause persistent infections must have developed mechanisms to resist the immune defense system. Lysozyme, a cell wall-lytic enzyme, is one of the first defense compounds induced in serum and tissues after the onset of infection. Recently, we showed that Staphylococcus aureus is resistant to lysozyme by O acetylating its peptidoglycan (PG) by O-acetyltransferase (OatA). We asked the question of which staphylococcal species PG is O acetylated. We applied various methods, such as genome analysis, PCR, Southern blotting, lysozyme sensitivity assay, and verification of O acetylation of PG by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. PCR analysis using S. aureus-derived oatA primers and Southern blotting did not yield reliable results with other staphylococcal species. Therefore, we used the HPLC-based assay to directly detect PG O acetylation. Our studies revealed that the muramic acid was O acetylated only in pathogenic, lysozyme-resistant staphylococci (e.g., S. aureus, S. epidermidis, S. lugdunensis, and others). All nonpathogenic species were lysozyme sensitive. They can be divided into sensitive species (e.g., S. carnosus, S. gallinarum, and S. xylosus) and hypersensitive species (e.g., S. equorum, S. lentus, and S. arlettae). In all lysozyme-sensitive species, the analyzed PG was de-O-acetylated. When we transformed the oatA gene from lysozyme-resistant S. aureus into S. carnosus, the corresponding transformants also became lysozyme resistant

Employee Financial Wellness Programs (EFWPs) as an Innovation in Incentive Systems of Energy Sector Enterprises in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Current Status and Development Prospects

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a loss of the sense of financial security among employees. The consequence is decreased productivity, affecting employers who also suffer related costs. Actions to support employees’ financial wellness are therefore important and necessary, especially in the case of those working in the strategic sector ensuring national energy security. The main aim of the article is to present, from the theoretical and practical point of view, the essence and role of Employee Financial Wellness Programs (EFWPs) in the creation of an effective incentive system in energy sector companies in Poland during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following research methods were used: critical analysis of source literature, comparative analysis of existing data and the descriptive method with elements of deductive reasoning. In order to collect primary data, the indirect survey method was used, namely, the CAWI Internet survey technique, which was addressed to the main energy generation sector entities in the country. The research has shown that financial wellness instruments are new to the Polish market, where they have been in limited operation since 2021. It was confirmed that some companies in the energy sector are using such innovative tools, but they also show the need and interest to implement more extensive and comprehensive Employee Financial Wellness Programs that will reduce the financial stress of employees while motivating them to work more efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mitigating risk of the tourism sector in the European Union member states during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: The article presents, in a multidimensional perspective, the instruments applied in EU member states to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the tourism sector. Design/Methodology/Approach: Research conducted in the article was based on secondary data. Research methods applied in the paper include critical review of literature, method of comparative analysis and secondary data analysis. Findings: The outcome of the article is the identification of actions undertaken in EU member states to support the tourism sector and original elaboration on the scheme of instruments used by EU authorities and countries in order to limit the epidemic risk in tourism. Practical Implications: The analysis and evaluation carried out in the article demonstrated that risk management in EU member states’ tourist sectors at the time of pandemic requires integrated protective measures. The results may be used to develop a long-term strategy for the EU’s tourism sector and programmes for prevention of crisis outcomes in other sectors of the economy as well. Originality/value: In the perspective presented herein, issues related to the epidemic risk in the tourism sector, discussed in the article, have not been the subject of scientific analyses in domestic or foreign literature.peer-reviewe

Istota potencjału rynku biogazu rolniczego w Polsce – studium przypadku projekt biogazowni

In recent years, the development of renewable energy sources has become one of the key demands in the European Union's policy. In Poland, the idea emerged that the energy potential of domestic agriculture may be an opportunity for broader use of the available agricultural biomass. Given that agricultural biogas has long been seen as one of the most promising directions for energy transition, the goal of the article was to assess the potential of the agricultural biogas market in Poland. The research methodology was based on statistical measures related to analysing the structure and changes over time in individual years. The structure analysis was carried out for selected Polish provinces, for which empirical distributions were built and selected descriptive parameters were calculated. A similar study was made in relation to selected EU countries. In addition, according to the National Action Plan for Renewable Energy, at least one agricultural biogas plant should be established in each Polish municipality. On this basis, the article assesses the ecological effect of the project on agricultural biogas in Marcinkowice, in the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship. The presented simulations allowed us to conclude that an agricultural biogas plant can be an ecological potential in the form of reducing the consumption of fossil fuels by reducing emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere while reducing fossil fuel consumption. It was important for the practice to confirm that investing in renewable energy sources, including the use of biogas, is part of the goals and directions of development related to the sustainable management of environmental resources and the development of renewable energy sources.W ostatnich latach jednym z kluczowych postulatów w polityce Unii Europejskiej stał się rozwój odnawialnych źródeł energii. W Polsce pojawiła się idea, że potencjał energetyczny krajowego rolnictwa może stanowić szansę na szersze wykorzystanie dostępnej biomasy rolniczej. Biorąc pod uwagę fakt, że biogaz rolniczy od dawna postrzegany jest jako jeden z najbardziej obiecujących kierunków transformacji energetycznej, celem artykułu była ocena potencjału rynku biogazu rolniczego w Polsce. Metodologia badań została oparta na miarach statystycznych związanych z analizą struktury i zmian w czasie w poszczególnych latach. Analizę struktury przeprowadzono dla wybranych województw Polski, dla których zbudowano rozkłady empiryczne i obliczono wybrane parametry opisowe. Podobnej analizy dokonano w stosunku do wybranych krajów unijnych. Ponadto zgodnie z Krajowym Planem Działań w zakresie energii ze źródeł odnawialnych w każdej polskiej gminie powinna powstać co najmniej jedna biogazownia rolnicza. Na tej podstawie w artykule dokonano oceny efektu ekologicznego projektu biogazowi rolniczej w miejscowości Marcinkowice, w województwie zachodniopomorskim. Przedstawione symulacje pozwoliły na stwierdzenie, że biogazownia rolnicza może stanowić potencjał ekologiczny w postaci ograniczenia zużycia paliw kopalnych poprzez zmniejszenie emisji zanieczyszczeń i gazów cieplarnianych do atmosfery, przy jednoczesnym ograniczeniu zużycia paliw kopalnych. Istotnym dla praktyki było potwierdzenie, że inwestowanie w zakresie odnawialnych źródeł energii, w tym wykorzystanie biogazu, wpisuje się w cele i kierunki rozwoju związane ze zrównoważonym gospodarowaniem zasobami środowiska i rozwojem odnawialnych źródeł energii

Poly- and Monoamine Metabolism in Streptomyces coelicolor: The New Role of Glutamine Synthetase-Like Enzymes in the Survival under Environmental Stress

Krysenko S, Matthews A, Busche T, Bera A, Wohlleben W. Poly- and Monoamine Metabolism in Streptomyces coelicolor: The New Role of Glutamine Synthetase-Like Enzymes in the Survival under Environmental Stress. Microbial physiology. 2021.Soil bacteria from the genus Streptomyces, phylum Actinobacteria, feature a complex metabolism and diverse adaptations to environmental stress. These characteristics are consequences of variable nutrition availability in the soil and allow survival under changing nitrogen conditions. Streptomyces coelicolor is a model organism for Actinobacteria and is able to use nitrogen from a variety of sources including unusual compounds originating from the decomposition of dead plant and animal material, such as polyamines or monoamines (like ethanolamine). Assimilation of nitrogen from these sources in S. coelicolor remains largely unstudied. Using microbiological, biochemical and in silico approaches, it was recently possible to postulate polyamine and monoamine (ethanolamine) utilization pathways in S. coelicolor. Glutamine synthetase-like enzymes (GS-like) play a central role in these pathways. Extensive studies have revealed that these enzymes are able to detoxify polyamines or monoamines and allow the survival of S. coelicolor in soil containing an excess of these compounds. On the other hand, at low concentrations, polyamines and monoamines can be utilized as nitrogen and carbon sources. It has been demonstrated that the first step in poly-/monoamine assimilation is catalyzed by GlnA3 (a gamma-glutamylpolyamine synthetase) and GlnA4 (a gamma-glutamylethanolamide synthetase), respectively. First insights into the regulation of polyamine and ethanolamine metabolism have revealed that the expression of the glnA3 and the glnA4 gene are controlled on the transcriptional level. © 2021 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel