Comprehensive Characterization of fucAO Operon Activation in Escherichia coli.

Wildtype Escherichia coli cells cannot grow on L-1,2-propanediol, as the fucAO operon within the fucose (fuc) regulon is thought to be silent in the absence of L-fucose. Little information is available concerning the transcriptional regulation of this operon. Here, we first confirm that fucAO operon expression is highly inducible by fucose and is primarily attributable to the upstream operon promoter, while the fucO promoter within the 3'-end of fucA is weak and uninducible. Using 5'RACE, we identify the actual transcriptional start site (TSS) of the main fucAO operon promoter, refuting the originally proposed TSS. Several lines of evidence are provided showing that the fucAO locus is within a transcriptionally repressed region on the chromosome. Operon activation is dependent on FucR and Crp but not SrsR. Two Crp-cAMP binding sites previously found in the regulatory region are validated, where the upstream site plays a more critical role than the downstream site in operon activation. Furthermore, two FucR binding sites are identified, where the downstream site near the first Crp site is more important than the upstream site. Operon transcription relies on Crp-cAMP to a greater degree than on FucR. Our data strongly suggest that FucR mainly functions to facilitate the binding of Crp to its upstream site, which in turn activates the fucAO promoter by efficiently recruiting RNA polymerase.

[Hidradenoma papilliferum. Report of two cases and review of literature]. / Hidradenoma papilífero. Reporte de dos casos y revisión de la bibliografía.

We bring two cases of hidradenoma papilliferum, rare injury. We describe the clinical, histopathological and a review of the available literature on the condition.

Quantification of Hair Follicles in the Scalp in Mexican Mestizo Population.

INTRODUCTION: There are no reports of the density of hair follicles in the scalp of Mexican mestizo population, necessitating the determination of normal references values for this population compared with other ethnic groups. OBJECTIVE: To determine the average hair follicle count on the scalp in Mexican mestizo population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 scalp samples (25 men and 25 women) from Mexican mestizo individuals aged between 19 and 60 years, with no clinical evidence of hair disease, obtained by biopsy punch at General Hospital "Dr. Manuel Gea González" were collected over 2 years. The total follicular density, vellus and terminal hair follicles, and the percentage in anagen and catagen-telogen phase were measured. χ2 was used as the basic statistical test. RESULTS: The mean number of total hair follicles in our Mexican mestizo population was 23.2 ± 4.2, which is lower compared with Thais, Iranians, and Caucasians. However, the ratio of terminal and vellus hair follicles was higher than in Thais, Caucasians, and African-Americans. The percentage of terminal hairs in anagen phase was lower than in the other populations, and higher in telogen, without exceeding 15%, established as the normal reference value. There was an association between sex and terminal hairs in telogen phase (p < 0.05). The average follicular density per mm2 was slightly higher compared with African-Americans and Asians. Women had more terminal hairs than men. CONCLUSIONS: The density of total follicles is lower in the Mexican mestizo population compared with Iranians, Thais, and Caucasians. However, the greater number of terminal hairs compared to vellus hairs gives the appearance of greater overall volume. The results of this study can be used as a reference for diseases of the scalp in the Mexican population.