Complete genome sequence of the uropathogenic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain MRSA-1369

MRSA-1369 is a uropathogenic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of MRSA-1369, which consists of one chromosome (2.87 Mb) and two plasmids (16.68 kb and 3.13 kb). This will serve as a reference genome for future Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis and multiomic studies

Ring-fused 2-pyridones effective against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens and synergistic with standard-of-care antibiotics

The alarming rise of multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria has precipitated a healthcare crisis, necessitating the development of new antimicrobial therapies. Here we describe a new class of antibiotics based on a ring-fused 2-pyridone backbone, which are active against vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), a serious threat as classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. Ring-fused 2-pyridone antibiotics have bacteriostatic activity against actively dividing exponential phase enterococcal cells and bactericidal activity against nondividing stationary phase enterococcal cells. The molecular mechanism of drug-induced killing of stationary phase cells mimics aspects of fratricide observed in enterococcal biofilms, where both are mediated by the Atn autolysin and the GelE protease. In addition, combinations of sublethal concentrations of ring-fused 2-pyridones and standard-of-care antibiotics, such as vancomycin, were found to synergize to kill clinical strains of VRE. Furthermore, a broad range of antibiotic resistant Gram-positive pathogens, including those responsible for the increasing incidence of antibiotic resistant healthcare-associated infections, are susceptible to this new class of 2-pyridone antibiotics. Given the broad antibacterial activities of ring-fused 2-pyridone compounds against Gram-positive (GmP) bacteria we term these compounds GmPcides, which hold promise in combating the rising tide of antibiotic resistant Gram-positive pathogens

Linkage between fitness of yeast cells and adenylate kinase catalysis

Enzymes have evolved with highly specific values of their catalytic parameters kcat and KM. This poses fundamental biological questions about the selection pressures responsible for evolutionary tuning of these parameters. Here we are address these questions for the enzyme adenylate kinase (Adk) in eukaryotic yeast cells. A plasmid shuffling system was developed to allow quantification of relative fitness (calculated from growth rates) of yeast in response to perturbations of Adk activity introduced through mutations. Biophysical characterization verified that all variants studied were properly folded and that the mutations did not cause any substantial differences to thermal stability. We found that cytosolic Adk is essential for yeast viability in our strain background and that viability could not be restored with a catalytically dead, although properly folded Adk variant. There exist a massive overcapacity of Adk catalytic activity and only 12% of the wild type kcat is required for optimal growth at the stress condition 20°C. In summary, the approach developed here has provided new insights into the evolutionary tuning of kcat for Adk in a eukaryotic organism. The developed methodology may also become useful for uncovering new aspects of active site dynamics and also in enzyme design since a large library of enzyme variants can be screened rapidly by identifying viable colonies

Influence of wobble uridine modifications on eukaryotic translation

Elongator is a conserved six subunit protein (Elp1p-Elp6p) complex that is required for the formation of ncm5 and mcm5 side chains at wobble uridines in transfer RNAs (tRNAs). Moreover, loss-of-function mutations in any gene encoding an Elongator subunit results in translational defects and a multitude of phenotypic effects. This thesis is based on investigations of effects of wobble uridine modifications on translation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ncm5U34-, mcm5U34- and mcm5s2U34- modified wobble nucleosides in tRNAs are important for proper codonanticodon interactions. My colleagues and I (hereafter we) showed that mcm5 and s2 groups at wobble uridine in tRNAs are vital for maintaining the reading frame during translation, as absence of these modifications increases the frequency of +1 frameshifting. We also showed that +1 frameshifting events at lysine AAA codons in Elongator mutants are due to slow entry of the hypomodified tRNA Lyss2UUU to the ribosomal A-site. Ixr1p is a protein that plays a key role in increasing production of deoxynucleotides (dNTPs) in responses to DNA damage, via induction of Ribonucleotide reductase 1 (Rnr1p), in S. cerevisiae. We showed that expression of Ixr1p is reduced in elp3Δ mutants due to a post-transcriptional defect, which results in lower levels of Rnr1p in responses to DNA damage. Collectively, these results suggest that high sensitivity of Elongator mutants to DNA damaging agents might be partially due to reductions in Ixr1p expression and hence Rnr1p levels. Elongator mutant phenotypes are linked to several cellular processes. To probe the mechanisms involved we investigated the metabolic perturbations associated with absence of a functional ELP3 gene in S. cerevisiae. We found that its absence results in widespread metabolic perturbations under both optimal (30°C) and semi-permissive (34°C) growth conditions. We also found that changes in levels of certain metabolites (but not others) were ameliorated by elevated levels of hypomodified tRNAs, suggesting that amelioration of perturbations of these metabolites might be sufficient for suppression of the Elongator mutant phenotypes. A mutation in the IKBKAP (hELP1) gene results in lower levels of the full-length hELP1 protein, which causes a neurodegenerative disease in humans called familial dysautonomia (FD). We showed that the levels of mcm5s2U-modified wobble nucleoside in tRNAs are lower in both brain tissues and fibroblast cell lines derived from FD patients than in corresponding materials derived from healthy individuals. This suggests that FD may result from inefficient translation due to partial loss of mcm5s2U-modified nucleosides in tRNAs

Evaluation of Garanti Bank and Cimsa in the context of international integrated reporting framework

Entegre düşünce üzerine kurulan entegre raporlama; kuruluşun, belirli bir zaman diliminde yarattığı, koruduğu veya küçültme aşamasında olduğu değer sürecinin unsurları hakkında gerekli bildirimleri yayınlayarak oluşturduğu bir sistemdir. Bu çalışmanın amacı; entegre raporlamaya yönelik geliştirilmiş olan yaklaşım üzerine bilgi vermek, Uluslararası Entegre Raporlama Çerçevesi’ndeki değişimleri aktarmak, Türkiye’de ve dünyada entegre raporlamanın mevcut durumu hakkında bilgi vermek ve Garanti BBVA ve Çimsa Çimento’nun entegre faaliyet raporlarını incelemektir. Bu bağlamda, Entegre Raporlama Türkiye Ağı kurucu üyelerinden olan Garanti BBVA ve Çimsa Çimento tarafından 2020 yılında yayınlanan entegre faaliyet raporları, Uluslararası Entegre Raporlama Çerçevesi temel alınarak değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda Çimsa ve Garanti Bankası’nın yayınlamış oldukları raporların, Entegre Raporlama Çerçevesi’ne uygun olduğu belirlenmiştir. Her iki kurumun da; misyonlarını belirledikleri ve sermaye öğeleri aracılığıyla yarattıkları değer hakkında bilgi verdikleri bir iş modeli olmasına rağmen hem sunum esaslarında hem stratejik öncelikler kapsamında hem de değer yaratımı konusunda ekonomik, sosyal ve çevre boyutlarında sektör kaynaklı farklılıkları olduğu gözlemlenmiştir.Integrated Reporting, based on integrated thinking, is a system that an organization creates by publishing the necessary notifications about the elements of the value process that it has created, maintained or is in the process of downsizing in a certain period of time. The aim of this study; to inform about the integrated reporting approach, to convey the changes in the International Integrated Reporting Framework, to inform about the current situation of integrated reporting in Turkey and in the world, to reveal all developments in integrated reporting and to support Garanti BBVA and Çimsa Çimento integrated activity reports. Also; It is to evaluate the Integrated Annual Reports published in 2020 by Garanti BBVA and Çimsa Cement Industry and Trade, one of the founding members of the Integrated Reporting Turkey Network, based on the International Integrated Reporting Framework. As a result of the research, the reports published by Çimsa and Garanti Bank comply with the Integrated Reporting Framework. Although both institutions have a business model in which they determine their missions and provide information about the value they create through capital items, it has been observed that there are sector-based differences in economic, social and environmental dimensions

Loss of ncm5 and mcm5 wobble uridine side chains results in an altered metabolic profile

Introduction: The Elongator complex, comprising six subunits (Elp1p-Elp6p), is required for formation of 5-carbamoylmethyl (ncm(5)) and 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl (mcm(5)) side chains on wobble uridines in 11 out of 42 tRNA species in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Loss of these side chains reduces the efficiency of tRNA decoding during translation, resulting in pleiotropic phenotypes. Overexpression of hypomodified tRNA(s2UUU)(Lys); tRNA(s2UUG)(Gln) and tRNA(s2UUC)(Glu), which in wild-type strains are modified with mcm(5)s(2)U, partially suppress phenotypes of an elp3 Delta strain. Objectives: To identify metabolic alterations in an elp3 Delta strain and elucidate whether these metabolic alterations are suppressed by overexpression of hypomodified tRNA(s2UUU)(Lys); tRNA(s2UUG)(Gln) and tRNA(s2UUC)(Glu). Method: Metabolic profiles were obtained using untargeted GC-TOF-MS of a temperature-sensitive elp3 Delta strain carrying either an empty low-copy vector, an empty high-copy vector, a low-copy vector harboring the wild-type ELP3 gene, or a high-copy vector overexpressing tRNA(s2UUU)(Lys); tRNA(s2UUG)(Gln) and tRNA(s2UUC)(Glu). The temperature sensitive elp3 Delta strain derivatives were cultivated at permissive (30 degrees C) or semi-permissive (34 degrees C) growth conditions. Results: Culturing an elp3 Delta strain at 30 or 34 degrees C resulted in altered metabolism of 36 and 46 %, respectively, of all metabolites detected when compared to an elp3D strain carrying the wild-type ELP3 gene. Overexpression of hypomodified tRNA(s2UUU)(Lys); tRNA(s2UUG)(Gln) and tRNA(s2UUC)(Glu) suppressed a subset of the metabolic alterations observed in the elp3 Delta strain. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the presence of ncm(5)- and mcm(5)-side chains on wobble uridines in tRNA are important for metabolic homeostasis