African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12496

Table of Content: 14 September 2011; 10(53)

September 2011

Co-solute assistance in refolding of recombinant proteins

  Prokaryotic expression system is the most widely used host for the production of recombinant proteins but inclusion body formation is a major bottleneck in theproduction of recombinant proteins in prokaryotic cells, especially in Escherichia coli. In vitro refolding of inclusion body into the the proteins with native conformations is a solution for this problem but there is a need for...

Author(s): Susan Mir Najd Gerami, Safar Farajnia, and Feridoun Mahboudi

September 2011

Histochemical determination of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in normal and ethanol-induced chick embryo during neural tube development

  Alcohol as a teratogenic agent inhibits cell growth, function, proliferation and migration by affecting macromolecules, and can induce cell death. Prenatal ethanol exposure causes neural tube defects (NTD) and growth deficiency in experimental animals. NTDs are a group of malformations that result in failure of neural tube (NT) closure in early embryonic development and are among the most common congenital...

Author(s): Işıl Aydemir and Beyhan Gürcü

September 2011

Single nucleotide substitution mutations and polymorphisms in ECM1 gene in lipoid proteinosis in siblings of a Pakistani family

  A number of mutations in extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) that is a glycoprotein and expressed in skin and other tissues are reported to cause a rare, autosomal recessive disorder called lipoid proteinosis (LP). The peculiar manifestation of LP is hoarseness of voice caused by laryngeal infiltration in infancy. Skin and mucous membrane changes clinically become apparent, and the...

Author(s): Syed M. Shahid, Abid Azhar, Syeda N. Nawab, Rozeena Shaikh, Muhammad Ismail and Azam J. Samdani

September 2011

Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and morphological diversity in Onosma L. (Boraginaceae) species in Iran

  Morphological characteristics as well as inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) molecular markers were used to study the species relationship in Onosma species (Boraginaceae) in Iran. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that morphological characters like caule leaf size and shape, bract shape, corolla shape, nutlet length, venation and corolla teeth size and anther...

Author(s): Ahmad-Reza Mehrabian, Masoud Sheidai, Zahra Noormohammadi, Younes Asrei and Valeyollah Mozafarian

September 2011

Polymorphism of Calpastatin Gene in Crossbreed Dalagh Sheep Using PCR-RFLP

  In modern programs of animal breeding, the genetic polymorphisms of production traits can be used as marker systems. Calpastatin gene is located on ovine chromosome 5 and is polymorphic in many breeds of sheep. Calpastatin has a role in meat tenderness after slaughter. Blood samples were collected from 120 crossbreeds of Dalagh sheep located in Golistan province of Iran. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood...

Author(s): Saber Khederzadeh

September 2011

Role of riboflavin and thiamine in induced resistance against charcoal rot disease of soybean

  Charcoal rots (Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goidanich) of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a disease of economic significance throughout the world. Pathogenicity of 14 isolates of M. phaseolina was tested on soybean cv. Giza 21 under greenhouse conditions. The obtained data indicated that all the obtained isolates were able to attack soybean plants and caused charcoal rot on the...

Author(s): Montaser Fawzy Abdel- Monaim,

September 2011

Soil water characteristics of Middle Pleistocene paleosol layers on the loess Plateau

  Soil water plays an important role in water quality monitoring, irrigation scheduling, solute migration, and plant growth. The soil water condition for a field site depends on soil type and related water movement parameters. Information about the soil hydraulic properties of Middle Pleistocene paleosol layers within the Yingpan section on the Loess Plateau of China is necessary since it may affect water cycle...

Author(s): Tieniu Wu,, Yunqiang Wang,, Junwei Lv, and Bo Zhang

September 2011

Hybridization of several Aerides species and in vitro germination of its hybrid

  The wild species of Aerides namely Aerides odorata, A. odorata var.’Yellow’,Aerides flabellata and Aerides quinquevulnera var. calayana are fragrant and distributed in Malaysia. Crosses among them attempted to produce primary hybrids which were used to investigate the effects of kinetin and BAP concentrations on seed germination percentage (%)...

Author(s): Sivanaswari, Chalaparmal, Thohirah, L. A., Fadelah, A. A., and Abdullah, N.A. P

September 2011

Effective methods of preserving SCWL-diseased sugarcane leaves for genomic DNA extraction and molecular detection of phytoplasma

  Simple and economical methods to preserve sugarcane leaf tissues infected with sugarcane white leaf (SCWL) phytoplasma for later detection of SCWL using nested- PCR analysis were described. Diseased leaf tissues were preserved by air-drying and stored at room temperature or stored fresh at 4 or -20°C in two types of bags: brown paper bags and plastic bags with punctured holes. Leaf materials were stored...

Author(s): Theerawut Wongwarat, Suchirat Sakuanrungsirikul and Piyada Theerakulpisut

September 2011

Response study of canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars to multi-environments using genotype plus genotype environment interaction (GGE) biplot method in Iran

  To study the interaction of genotype and environment in canola crop, a study was carried out in 2010. Ten genotypes (Modena, Okapi, Hyola 401, Licord, Opera, Zarfam, RGS 003, SLM046, Sarigol, and Hyola 308) of canola were studied under normal conditions of irrigation in four locations (Karaj, Birjand, Shiraz, and Kashmar) using randomized complete block design with three replications. Using GGE biplot method,...

Author(s): Seyed Habib Shojaei, Khodadad Mostafavi, Manouchehr Khodarahmi and Mohammad Zabet

September 2011

Antioxidant responses of lentil and barley plants to boron toxicity under different nitrogen sources

  In this study, the effects of different nitrogen sources on lentil (Lens clunaris) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants, exposed to 5 and 10 mM boron stress previously, were studied. After ten-day germination, the lentil (native) and barley (Tokak157/37) were incubated 16 h light and 8 h dark per day for 7-day growth cycle under the conditions of boron stress via different nitrogen sources (10 mM nitrogen...

Author(s): Muammer Tepe and Tülin Aydemir

September 2011

Changes in endogenous hormone concentrations during inflorescence induction and development in pineapple (Ananas comosus cv. Smooth Cayenne) by ethephon

  This study investigated the changes of five endogenous hormones in the shoot apex and the white bases of D-leaf during the inflorescence induction and development of ‘Smooth Cayenne’ pineapple, using 14-month-old pot-grown plants as material and ethephon as flower forcing agent. Results showed that application of ethephon increased the level of endogenous ethylene (C2H4), abscisic acid...

Author(s): Liu Sheng-hui, Zang Xiao-ping, and Sun Guang-ming,

September 2011

Evaluation of 10 wheat cultivars under water stress at Moghan (Iran) condition

  Water deficit is one of the main abiotic factors that affect yield and yield component of wheat planted in arid and semi-arid regions. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of water stress on wheat yield and yield component during 2008 at Moghan conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of water stress on seed yield and yield components of ten wheat cultivars and lines...

Author(s): Johari-Pireivatlou, Moharram and Maralian, Habib

September 2011

Differential gene expression analysis of self-incompatible lines in tea by cDNA-AFLP

  Self-incompatibility (SI) is an important genetically-controlled mechanism to prevent self-fertilization. In this study, the tea cultivars ‘Longjing Changye’ (self-incompatible) and ‘Fuding Dabaicha’ were used as plant materials in four experimental groups: 1) ‘Longjing Changye’ without pollination, (2) ‘Longjing Changye’ with self-pollination, (3)...

Author(s): Xuan Chen, Tongkun Liu, Shan Hao, Wanping Fang, Yuhua Wang and Xinghui Li

September 2011

Evaluation of drought tolerance indices among some winter rapeseed cultivars

  The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of drought stress on seed yield of some winter rapeseed cultivars and to study relevant drought tolerance indices, along with identifying resistant cultivars to drought stress. Plant materials were sown in split plot arrangement based on a randomized complete blocks design, at Islamic Azad University of Tabriz research field. Three drought stress...

Author(s): Mehrdad Yarnia, Narges Arabifard, Farrokh Rahimzadeh Khoei  and Peiman Zandi

September 2011

Structure and immunological activity of a novel polysaccharide from the spores of Ganoderma lucidum

  The water-soluble polysaccharide (GLP) was obtained from the spores ofGanoderma lucidum by hot water extraction and gel chromatography. The molecular weight was estimated to be 143 KD determined by using HPGPC. Structure features of GLP were investigated by a combination of chemical and instrumental analysis. The results indicated that GLP consisted of a backbone composed of...

Author(s): Lixia Zhang, Yajun Zhang and Liping Zhang

September 2011

Cr (VI) removal from aqueous solutions by fly ash and fly ash composite filter material: Factorial experimental design

    The removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by batch adsorption experiments using fly ash (FA) and composite filter material made of fly ash (FACFM) as adsorbents were investigated. The influence of pH, contact time on the selectivity and sensitivity of the removal process were investigated. The effect factors such as adsorbent dosage level, initial Cr(VI) concentration and temperature were...

Author(s): Ihab Mohamed Ibrahim Moussa

September 2011

Cr (VI) removal from aqueous solutions by fly ash and fly ash composite filter material: Factorial experimental design

  The removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by batch adsorption experiments using fly ash (FA) and composite filter material made of fly ash (FACFM) as adsorbents were investigated. The influence of pH, contact time on the selectivity and sensitivity of the removal process were investigated. The effect factors such as adsorbent dosage level, initial Cr(VI) concentration and temperature were studied...

Author(s): Xue Hongqin, Jing Zhaoqian and Liu Xiaodong

September 2011

Spatial and temporal patterns of soil fertility quality and analysis of related factors in urban-rural transition zone of Beijing

  The objectives of this study were (i) to assess soil fertility quality changes in time and space using grey relational analysis (GRA) and geographic information systems (GIS) in the urban-rural transition zone of Beijing and (ii) to explore thevariation features of soil fertility under different land use types and soil management practices. The distribution map of soil fertility quality showed that soil...

Author(s): Jing-wei Jin,, Hui-chun Ye, Yue-fei Xu, Chong-yang Shen and Yuan-fang Huang

September 2011

Stimulation of growth and some biochemical parameters by magnetic field in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) tissue cultures

  In this study, various magnetic field intensities between 2.9 to 4.8 mT by 1ms-1speed applied to mature embryos of Flamura-85 wheat variety and effects of magnetic field on different physiological (regeneration rate, average plant fresh weights, and average plant lengths) and biochemical [total protein, and chlorophyll amounts, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX) and ascorbate...

Author(s): Sema Alikamanoglu and Ayse Sen

September 2011

Growth and anatomical characteristics of different water and light intensities on cork oak (Quercus suber L.) seedlings

  This study was performed to investigate the effects of water and light intensity on the growth and anatomical aspects (that is, stomatal density and chloroplasts ultrastructure) of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) seedlings from acorns collected from Tabarka (Northern Tunisia). Seedlings, four-month after germination, were planted at 3 L pots with artificial soil and were cultivated for 5 months at the...

Author(s): Myung Ja Kwak, Seong Han Lee and Su Young Woo

September 2011

Effect of post-harvest processing on the nutrient and anti-nutrient compositions of Vernonia amygdalina leaf

  Vernonia amygdalina leaves are used as soup condiment in Nigeria either in the processed or unprocessed forms. This study assessed the effect of some conventional post-harvest treatments on the proximate, vitamins, minerals and anti-nutrient compositions of the leafy vegetable. Fresh leaves of V. amygdalina were subjected to two different processing methods; abrasion with salt (AWS) and...

Author(s): Olutayo Sunday Shokunbi, Ogochukwu Augustine Anionwu, Oluwatosin Sarah Sonuga and Grace Oluwatoyin Tayo

September 2011

Effect of Bonny light crude oil contaminated diet on serum cholesterol and testosterone concentrations in Wistar albino rats

  Crude oil pollution of the environment occurs on a daily basis through different modes. This has become even more pronounced in the oil-mineral producing areas of the Niger Delta of Nigeria. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible effect of Bonny light crude oil on serum cholesterol and testosterone in Wistar albino rats, and to ascertain its possible endocrine disrupting effect on the...

Author(s): Otitoju, O., Onwurah, I. N. E., Otitoju, G. T. O., Ndem, J. I. and Uwah, A. F.

September 2011

Production of polyclonal antibodies against Indian honeybee (Apis indica) venom toxins and its efficacy in reversal of toxic effects

  In this study, the efficiency of polyclonal anti-honeybee venom (HBV) antibody was successfully explored in the form of reversal of toxic effects induced by the venom. Honeybee venom expresses its toxicity not only by allergic reactions but it also causes molecular toxicity by making alteration in enzymes and bio-molecules. To come out from these toxic effects, polyclonal antibodies were generated by...

Author(s): Shoeb Ahmad and Ravi Kant Upadhyay

September 2011

Relationship of microbial diversity from recycled injection water and high-temperature petroleum reservoirs analyzed by polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE)

  The microbial communities and diversities in production water from three high-temperature, water-flooded petroleum reservoirs in the same injection area of the Chenghai area of Dagang oil field in China and their recycled injection water sample were characterized by polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis. Results show that microbial sequences mainly belonged...

Author(s): Guihong Lan, Zengting Li, Hui zhang, Changjun Zou, Dairong Qiao and Yi Cao

September 2011

Phytochemical and antimicrobial studies on stem bark extract of Sterculia setigera, Del.

  Antibacterial activity using broth and disc diffusion methods, and phytochemical screening was carried out on crude stem bark extracts of Sterculia setigera, a plant used ethnomedically by various communities in Nigeria. These extracts showed low antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis andKlebsiella pneumonia. Phytochemical screening revealed the...

Author(s): T. A. Tor-Anyiin, M. U. Akpuaka and H. O. A. Oluma

September 2011

Detection of resistance-associated mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Cameroon using a dot-blot hybridisation technique

  Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains collected from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in the West and Centre regions of Cameroon were culture-tested for the major anti-tuberculosis drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and streptomycin). Of the 112 predetermined samples included in the study, 21 (18.7%) were sensitive to all the drugs, while 91 (81.3%) were resistant to at least one drug....

Author(s): Wilfred Fon Mbacham, Leopold Djomkam Tientcheu, Veronique Beng Penlap, Christopher  Kuaban, Sara Eyangoh,  Hubert Wang, Jean Bickii, Palmer Masumbe Netongo, William Titi Lembe, Olama Abega, Njikam Njifutie, Teyim Pride and Baldip Khan

September 2011

Chemical composition, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the petrol ether extract of Pinellia cordata

  The analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of the petrol ether extract of Pinellia cordata (PEPC) was investigated using the xylene-induced ear edema and acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice. PEPC was administered intragastrically (i.g.) at 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg. It had significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities with dose dependent manner. The chemical components of PEPC were...

Author(s): Baokang Huang, Zhiyong Chu, Weiping He and Luping Qin

September 2011

Expression of E2F3, miR-17-5p, miR-20a and their interplay in bladder cancer

  In order to explore the expression levels of E2F3, miR-17-5p, miR-20a and find out if they interact with one another in bladder cancer, 50 transitional cell carcinoma tissues, 10 normal mucosa tissues and 5637 cell line were used in this study. miR-17-5p, miR-20a, E2F3 gene and E2F3 proteinum were significantly amplifed and overexpressed in cancer tissues, and with advancing of the tumor grade, E2F3 gene...

Author(s): HaiLin Ren, Yan Sun, XiaoNa Li, HaiLong Hu, ShiBing Li, EnLi Liangand RuiFa Han

September 2011

Effects of different water temperatures and growth agent (recombinant human somatotropin) (r-hGH) on features such as growth, condition factor, feed conversion ratio, survival rate and meat composition of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fingerlings

  In this study, the effects of temperature and different levels of recombinant human somatotropin, one of the growth agents, on growth performances and body composition of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were investigated. Two different temperatures (10.1 ± 0.10°C and 14.8 ± 0.50°C) and four different doses of the growth agent were added to the feed (0.0, 27.4, 54.8 and 82.2...

Author(s): Huriye Ariman Karabulut and N. Mevlut Aras

September 2011

Toxicity bioassay of lead acetate and effects of its sub-lethal exposure on growth, haematological parameters and reproduction in Clarias gariepinus

  The African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, was exposed to different concentrations of lead acetate for 96 h, and the value of LC50 for the exposure period was registered as 122 mg/L. The effects of sub-lethal exposure on growth, reproduction and haematological parameters were also investigated in C. gariepinus. Lead exposure at all concentrations reduced growth rate, and was inversely related to...

Author(s): Hmoud Fares Alkahemal-Balawi, Zubair Ahmad, Ali Suliman Al-Akel, Fahad Al-Misned, El-Amin Mohamad Suliman and Khalid Abdullah Al-Ghanim

September 2011

Induced spawning, fecundity, fertilization rate and hatching rate of Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) by using a single intramuscular injection of ovaprim–C at a fish hatchery Faisalabad, Pakistan

  In the present study, intramuscular injection of ovaprim-C was studied on the number of eggs/kg, fertilization rate and hatching percentage during April to June 2008 at Fish Seed Hatchery, Satyana Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan on Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Fishes were spawned successfully following a single dose of injection of ovaprim-C (luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue)...

Author(s): Muhammad Naeem, Amina Zuberi, Abdus Salam, Muhammad Ashraf, Noor Elahi, Muzaffar Ali, Abir Ishtiaq, Tayyaba Malik, Muhammad Jamshed Khan, Muhammad Mazhar Ayaz, Muhammad Javed Iqbal and Bilal Ahmad

September 2011

Evaluation of metal contents in female Oreochromis niloticus with emphasis on potential risk of consumption and relation to some biological aspects

  The Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn) and Zinc (Zn) levels were studied to estimate the risk of human consumption and pollution of Indus River which is important for the country. The fish samples were collected from different locations in the river Indus near Ghazi Ghat area, Pakistan and were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The values obtained for the five...

Author(s): Muhammad Naeem, Abdus Salam, Muhammad Yunas Khokhar, Muhammad Farhan Nasir, Muhammad Fahad Nouman, Abir Ishtiaq and Razia Allah Yar

September 2011

Optimization of epothilone B production by Sorangium cellulosum using multiple steps of the response surface methodology

  The anticancer compound epothilone B is biosynthesized by the myxobacteriumSorangium cellulosum; however, the fermentation characteristics for epothilone production in Sorangium cellulosum have not yet been reported. In this study, medium components for the production of epothilone B in the So0157-2 strain of S. cellulosum were statistically screened and optimized. First, the...

Author(s): Wen-rui Cao, Guo-li Gong, Xin-li Liu, Wei Hu, Zhi-feng Li, Hong Liu and Yue-zhong Li

September 2011

Improving bio-ethanol yield: Using virginiamycin and sodium flouride at a Pakistani distillery

  Bacterial contamination is a major problem in bio-fuel production industry; whether from molasses or corn. To improve ethanol yield at industrial scale fermentation, virginiamycin and sodium fluoride was tested. Virginiamycin gave maximum efficiency at 2 ppm and increased the alcohol level to about 1% in fermenters with the reduction of sulfuric acid consumption. By doing cost benefit analysis, it has been...

Author(s): Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Anjum Zia, Muhammad Asghar and HaqNawaz Bhatti

September 2011

A new protocol for the treatment of Brucella melitensis in Neumann’s gazelle (Gazella erlangeri) from Saudi Arabia using oxytetracycline and streptomycin

  The presence of Brucella melitensis is demonstrated for the first time in Neumann’s gazelle (Gazella erlangeri). Seven Neumann’s gazelles exhibiting signs of brucellosis were treated for one month with oxytetracycline (25 mg/kg) administered intramuscularly in combination with streptomycin (20 mg/kg) for two weeks and then solely with oxytetracycline for a further two weeks. Prior...

Author(s): Amina E. Essawy, Ashraf M. Abdel-Moneim, Ibrahim A. Gaaboub and Soad A. El-Sayed

September 2011

The effect of butyric acid glycerides on serum lipids and carcass analysis of broiler chickens

  A worldwide concern about the development of antimicrobial resistance led to thebanning of the use of antibiotics as growth promoters. This research was carried out to investigate the effect of butyric acid glycerides and salinomycin sodium on serum lipids and carcass characteristics in Ross 308 broiler chickens. 800 broiler chickens were raised for 42 days. The experiment was...

Author(s): Mehrdad Irani, Shahabodin Gharahveysi, Reza Rahmatian, Mona Zamaniand Vahid Rezai Pour