African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12476

Table of Content: 11 April 2011; 10(15)

April 2011

Recent advances in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] “omics” research for genetic improvement

After decades of research on cowpea, significant amount of omics datasets are available and useful in understanding the genetic relationship between Vignaunguiculata ssp. unguiculata and other species belonging to the same genus as well as its genetic variation. Besides, the development of genetic map allowed the chromosome localization of molecular markers associated with disease resistance, seed...

Author(s): Diaga Diouf

April 2011

Assessment of genetic diversity among accessions of two traditional leafy vegetables (Acmella uliginosa (L.) and Justicia tenella (Nees) T.) consumed in Benin using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity and explore the genetic relationship among accessions of Acmella uliginosa and Justicia tenella, two leaf vegetables collected from different areas in the northwest and northeast parts of Benin (West Africa). The total number of exploitable amplicons revealed with genomic DNA from A....

Author(s): Adéoti K., Rival A., Dansi A., Ahohuendo B.C, Santoni S., Beule T., Nato A., Henry Y., Ahanchédé A., Vodouhè R., Hounhouigan D.J. and Sanni A.

April 2011

Novel polymorphism of the bovine fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene are related to backfat thickness and longissimus muscle area in five Chinese native cattle breeds

In this study, genetic variation of the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) was detected by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing in 618 individuals from five Chinese indigenous cattle breeds, and their genetic effects on meat quality traits were evaluated. The results showed that a novel single nucleotide polymorphism C1071T was detected in exon 5 and the allelic frequencies for the C and T alleles of the five breeds were...

Author(s): Shengjuan Wei, Linsen Zan, Javed Ahmed Ujan, Hongbao Wang, Yanjie Yang and Camus Adoligbe

April 2011

Genetic diversity and genetic relationship of Jatropha curcas between China and Southeast Asian revealed by amplified fragment length polymorphisms

At present, due to the increasing popularity of Jatropha curcas as a source of biodiesel and the generation of nontoxic and high yielding varieties of the plant, there is an immediate need for genetic improvement. However, conclusions on the genetic basis of J. curcas are still inconsistent. The objective of this study is to use amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) to survey the genetic...

Author(s): Zhengyin Zhang, Xiulian Guo, Boyang Liu, Lin Tang and Fang Chen

April 2011

Molecular screening of Pakistani rice germplasm for xa5 gene resistance to bacterial blight

The narrow genetic base of cultivated rice cause vulnerability to bacterial blight (BB) because of an increased frequency of newly evolved pathotypes of greater virulence. Pyramiding of known resistance genes or scouting of new genes with a wider resistance spectrum, are the alternatives for breeding varieties with durable resistance. Molecular and conventional approaches were used to identify rice germplasm for the...

Author(s): Fida M Abbasi, Rabia Masood, Habib Ahmad, Uzma Khan, Muhammad Afzal, Inamullah, Mujaddad Ur Rehman, Muhammad Tariq Khan, Kehkashan Akbar and Muhammad Abid Khan

April 2011

Effective inhibition of specific gene by adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated expression of small interfering RNA

RNA-interference is the mechanism of sequence-specific, post-transcriptional gene silencing, initiated by small interfering RNA (siRNA), homologous to the gene being suppressed. Several techniques are utilized to transfer siRNA into cultured cells or animal models, while every method has advantages and disadvantages. In this study, a siRNA expression recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) was established by inserting...

Author(s): Jun Yin, Yumei Zhang, Ling Yang, Houda Li and Zhengfeng Xue

April 2011

Circumscription of the families within Leguminales as determined by cladistic analysis based on seed protein

Comparative banding pattern of the seed protein of 17 taxa belonging to the three families Mimosaceae, Caesalpiniaceae and Fabaceae was studied with the aim of testing the proposed delimitation of the order Leguminales (Fabales) into the three families or subfamilies and to assess the phylogenetic relationships within the three families. Cluster and pairing affinity or similarity index analysis of the data from total...

Author(s): Amal Kumar Mondal and Sanjukta Mondal (Parui)

April 2011

Moisture dependent of some physical and morphological properties of dent corn (Zea mays var. indentÓ™tÓ™ Sturt) seeds

In this study, physical properties of seeds of Simon and Goldeclat dent corn (Zeamays var. indentÓ™tÓ™ sturt) cultivars as a function of moisture content were evaluated. Three levels of moisture ranging from 12.76 to 17.0% (dry basis), and 11.09 to 16.48% (dry basis) were used for Simon and Goldeclat cv., respectively. The averaged length, width, thickness, arithmetic and geometric mean diameter...

Author(s): ìsmaìl Sezer,  Ahmet Balkaya, Onur KaraaÄŸaç and Fatih Öner

April 2011

Impact of impregnation with boron compounds on combustion properties of oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and varnishes

This study examined the impacts of varnishing after impregnation with boron compounds on combustion properties of oriental beech. The test samples prepared from oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) wood were impregnated according to ASTM D 1413–76–99 with boric acid (Ba) or borax (Bx) using a vacuum technique. After impregnation, one of six varnishes (cellulosic (Cv), synthetic (Sn), polyurethane...

Author(s): Musa Atar, Hakan Keskin, Süleyman Korkut and Derya Sevim Korkut

April 2011

Assessment of genotype x environment interaction on yield and yield components of durum wheat genotypes by multivariate analyses

Wheat breeders have to determine the new cultivars and lines responsive to the environmental changes for grain yield and yield components. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate 25 durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum) genotypes including 12 registered cultivars and 13 advanced breeding lines for their stability grown in three different locations (Tokat-Kazova, Diyarbakir and Sivas-Ulas) of...

Author(s): Mehmet Ali Sakin, Cuma Akinci, Oral Duzdemir and Emin Donmez

April 2011

The effect of NaCl on proline metabolism in Saussurea amara seedlings

Many plants accumulates proline dramatically under a variety of stress conditions, and this play an important role in regulation of osmotic homeostasis, prevention of damages caused by osmotic stresses, scavenging of reactive oxygen species and protection of cell structures. The regulation of proline accumulation in Saussurea amara seedlings and the activities of key enzymes involved in proline metabolism in...

Author(s): Kang Wang, Yanxiang Liu, Kuanhu Dong, Jie Dong, Junmei Kang, Qingchuan Yang, He Zhou and Yan Sun

April 2011

The effect of polyacrylamide (PAM) applications on infiltration, runoff and soil losses under simulated rainfall conditions

One of the major causes of soil degradation throughout the world is water erosion. Anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) application to soils is an effective soil conservation practice for reducing runoff and soil losses caused by erosion. It also increases the infiltration rate of soils. The objective of this study was conducted to determine effects of different application rates of PAM (0 (control), 1.667, 3.333 and 5.000...

Author(s): Zeynal TümsavaÅŸ and  Ali Kara

April 2011

Identification of resistant biotypes of Leptochloa chinensis in rice field and their control with herbicides

Weed populations of sprangletop (Leptochloa chinensis) such as Kampung Permetang (KP), Kampung Pida-Tiga (KPT), Sungai Baru (SB1 and SB2), Kampung Pida-Empat (KPE), Singkir Yan (SY), Tanjung Dawai (TD), Dulang Besar (DB) and Kampung Bahagia (KB1 and KB2) were collected from paddy (Oryza sp.)growing areas in Kedah, Malaysia to identify resistant biotypes and their method of control. Weed...

Author(s): M. Motior Rahman, S. Ismail and M. Sofian-Azirun

April 2011

Comparison of callus induction and somatic embryogenesis of some Iranian cottons (Gossypium Spp.) with Coker 312 and histology of somatic embryogenesis

Callus induction and somatic embryogenesis from hypocotyl explants of some Iranian cottons spp. (Hashem abad, Kerman, Termez and Sepid) were compared with Coker 312 through induction and formation of embryogenic calli on medium of Murashige and Skoog (MS) with Gamborg vitamins (B5) supplemented with the following compositions: MSB1 (0.5 mg/l zeatin), MSB2 (1 mg/l zeatin), MSB3 (0.5 mg/l...

Author(s): Mahin Ghaemi, Ahmad Majd,  Fathalah Fallahian and Kamal Ghasemi Bezdi

April 2011

Chemical constituents and antioxidant activity of the essential oil from aerial parts of Artemisia herba-alba grown in Tunisian semi-arid region

Essential oils and their components are becoming increasingly popular as naturally occurring antioxidant agents. In this work, the composition of essential oil inArtemisia herba-alba from southwest Tunisia, obtained by hydrodistillation was determined by GC/MS. Eighteen compounds were identified with the main constituents namely, α-thujone (24.88%), germacrene D (14.48%),...

Author(s): Adel Kadri, Zied Zarai, Ahmed Békir, Néji Gharsallah, Mohamed Damakand Radhouane Gdoura

April 2011

Chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activities of Thymelaea hirsuta L. essential oil from Tunisia

This study was designed to examine for the first time, the chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activities of the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of Thymelaea hirsuta L. The essential oil was subjected to hydrodistillation and was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The chemical composition was dominated by the presence of hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes (26.91%) with germacrene...

Author(s): Adel Kadri, Zied Zarai,  Ines Ben Chobba, Néji Gharsallah, Mohamed Damak and Ahmed Békir

April 2011

Cadmium accumulation and antioxidative defenses in leaves of Triticum aestivum L. and Zea mays L.

Corn (Zea Mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ) seedlings were grown in four cadmium (Cd) concentration levels (0 - 1 mg/l) in a hydroponic system to analyze the antioxidant enzyme system, Cd concentration in the shoots and roots of plants, proline contents, growth responses and chlorophyll contents in the leaves of corn and wheat. The results showed that there was a significant increase in...

Author(s): Yue Zhao

April 2011

Optimising carbon and nitrogen sources for Azotobacter chroococcum growth

The present work deals with selecting and optimization of carbon and nitrogen sources for producing biomass from Azotobacter chroococcum. Four carbon sources (glucose, sucrose, manitol and sodium benzoate) and four nitrogen sources (yeast extract, meat extract, NH4Cl and (NH4)2SO4) were evaluated during the first stage by using a 42x3 factorial design; greater bacterial growth was obtained from sucrose and...

Author(s): Ivonne Gutiérrez-Rojas, Ana Beatriz Torres-Geraldo and Nubia Moreno-Sarmiento

April 2011

Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial species identified from mastitic milk samples of camel

Twelve different antibiotics were used against bacterial species to record their sensitivity. The antibiotics were amikacin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalexin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamycin, kanamycin, neomycin, ofloxacin, sulphamethoxazole trimethoprim and tetracycline. The species that showed sensitivity to amikacin were: Corynebacterium pyogenes (100%), Bacillus...

Author(s): S. A. Fazlani, S. A. Khan, S. Faraz and M. S. Awan

April 2011

Molecular analysis and antibiotic resistance investigation of Staphylococcus aureus isolates associated with staphylococcal food poisoning and nosocomial infections

Enterotoxins (SEs) generated by Staphylococcus aureus were considered to be the main reason for staphylococcal food-poisoning (SFP). The aim of this research is to investigate the distribution difference of enterotoxin genes in strains isolated from food, food poisoning, inpatients, respectively. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was employed to detect SEs and relationship between anti-biotic...

Author(s): Yanjun Zhang, Suyun Cheng, Gangqiang Ding, Min Zhu, Xuexia Pan and Lei Zhang

April 2011

Fumaric acid, an antibacterial component of Aloe vera L.

The acetoacetate fraction partitioned from Aloe vera L. showed an effective antibacterial activity against four clinically frequent pathogenic bacteria. Through a series of chromatographic methods and activity assays, one compound was obtained and it has potent antibacterial activity. Based on the data of mass spectrometry, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and IR spectra, this compound was determined to be fumaric...

Author(s): Chang-Liang He, Ben-Dong Fu#, Hai-Qing Shen, Xiao-Lin Jiang and Xu-Bin Wei#

April 2011

Evaluation of the antioxidant and antityrosinase activities of three extracts from Pleurotus nebrodensis fruiting bodies

Pleurotus nebrodensis has been widely used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activities and tyrosinase inhibitory effects on the fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis extracted with acetone, methanol and hot water. The antioxidant activities were performed on β-carotene-linoleic acid, reducing power, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl...

Author(s): Nuhu Alam, Ki Nam Yoon and Tae Soo Lee

April 2011

Prevalence of Candida species in the oral cavity of patients with periodentitis

During the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of fungal infections caused by Candida species. Oral candidiasis is a common opportunistic infection of the oral cavity caused by yeast fungi of the genus Candida on the mucous membranes of the mouth. To isolate and determine the incidence rate of oral Candida species in periodentitis and...

Author(s): Batool Sadeghi Nejad, Ablollah Rafiei and Fereshteh Moosanejad

April 2011

Characterization of stx2 and its variants in Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from patients and animals

In this study, we investigated 72 Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains from humans and animals to determine stx2 and its variants by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Most isolates were found to carrystx2 or its variants and the stx2c was the dominant subtype; for the prevalence ofstx2c in stx2-positive isolates was 89.6%...

Author(s): Honglei Ding, Linping Huang, Xuhu Mao and Quanming Zou

April 2011

Evaluation of growth and production of the threatened giant river catfish, Sperata seenghala (Sykes) in polyculture with indigenous major carps

The giant river catfish locally named guizza, Sperata seenghala has significant cultural and economic importance but the fish is now considered as critically endangered due to environmental and man-made interventions in aquatic ecosystem. In order to conserve and rehabilitate this species, an experiment on polyculture of guizza with indigenous major carps was conducted in earthen ponds. Three treatments...

Author(s): M. Aminur Rahman, A. Arshad,  and S.M. Nurul Amin

April 2011

Age and growth of bullet tuna, Auxis rochei (Risso), from the Turkish Mediterranean coasts

The study aims to identify the age and growth parameters of bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) in Turkish waters. The fish were caught from the Turkish Mediterranean coasts between December 2008 and December 2009. A total of 186 dorsal fin spines obtained from the specimens were analyzed for ageing and growth studies. The fork length of the aged individuals ranged from 34 to 48 cm for males and from 35 to 46.5 cm for the...

Author(s): Abdullah Ekrem Kahraman, Didem Göktürk and F. Saadet Karakulak

April 2011

Adsorption of lysozyme unto silica and polystyrene surfaces in aqueous medium

The adsorption capacity of lysozyme (chicken egg white) from aqueous solutions unto silica and polystyrene interfaces was studied at varying lysozyme concentrations and ionic strength. The studies revealed an increase in adsorption capacity with increase in concentration and with maximum adsorption densities of 1.34 x10-6 mol g-1 and 1.57 x10-6 mol g-1 obtained for silica and polystyrene respectively...

Author(s): Onwu, F. K. and Ogah, S. P. I.

April 2011

Determination of digestibility of almond hull in sheep

A study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and digestibility of almond hull using in-vitro, sacco and vivo methods. Chemical compositions of almond hull and alfalfa hay were determined. The crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of almond hull were lower than those of alfalfa hay but the non fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) was more than that...

Author(s): Taher Yalchi

April 2011

Amplification of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragment using two-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an essential tool in many fields such as molecular biology, normally comprises three steps: denaturation at a high temperature, annealing at a low temperature and elongation at a moderate temperature. Here, we report a two-step PCR method which incorporates annealing and elongation step for significant time-saving and reduction in reagent use. To investigate whether the two-step method...

Author(s): Chang-Qin Jing, Li Wang, Tian-Yun Wang, Jun-He Zhang, Wei-Hua Dong and Xiu-Hua Zhang