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: 22 June 2011; 10(29)

June 2011

Aneuploids of wheat and chromosomal localization of genes

Identification of useful major or minor genes is an important step in crop improvement programs. The chromosome location of such genes is critical for effective utilization and subsequent manipulation. Further, chromosomal localization will lead to the identification of genomic regions responsible for the expression of the trait of interest. DNA markers linked to these traits could be identified and used for...

Author(s): Shimelis, H. and Spies, J. J.        

June 2011

Alterations in reproductive hormones during heat stress in dairy cattle

In dairy cows inseminated during the hot months of the year, there is a decrease in fertility. Different factors contribute to this situation; the most important are a consequence of increased temperature and humidity that result in a decreased expression of overt estrus and a reduction in appetite and dry matter intake. Heat stress reduces the degree of dominance of the selected follicle and this can be seen as reduced...

Author(s): M. KhodaeiMotlagh, A. Zare Shahneh, R. Masoumi and Fabio Derensis      

June 2011

Genome-wide examination of chlorophyll metabolic genes in maize and phylogenetic analysis among different photosynthetic organisms

Chlorophyll (Chl) is the key pigment involved in photosynthesis. Analysis of the expression pattern of Chl metabolic genes will contribute to our understanding of photosynthesis. Also, the genes coding for Chl metabolism are ideal targets forrevealing the evolution relationships of photosynthetic organisms. In this study, we summarized the Chl metabolic pathway in higher...

Author(s): Dianyi Shi, Lin Li Jiewei Zhang, Panfeng Zhao, Lei Xing, Wenjun Xie, Jianbing Yan and Weiwei Jin        

June 2011

Integration of random amplification of polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) and DNA sequencing in search for strain-specific pharmacological targets in Echinococcus granulosus

Echinococcus granulosus a parasite characterized with intra-species variability and genetic studies show existence of 10 genotypes (G1-G10). Host specificity and different susceptibility to intermediate hosts has also been demonstrated. Better understanding of this parasitosis can assist in designing appropriate control and preventive measures and its management based on strain-molecular peculiarity. Thus, the...

Author(s): Kennedy Mwambete and Hildebert B. Maurice    

June 2011

Co-suppression of sterol-regulatory element binding protein mediates etiolation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis plants were transformed with a chimeric construct containing expression cassettes for GFP election marker and CaMV 35S promoter-driven At5g35220 cDNA, via Agro bacterium-mediated method. Two transformants produced pigmentation deficient phenotype. Analysis revealed the decrease of chlorophyll in all etiolated plants. RT-PCR showed that, total At5g35220 mRNA levels were greatly...

Author(s): Yuzhi Qin,, Xu Li, Ming Guo, Xingyao Xiong, Yong Song, He Changzheng, and Xuanming Liu      

June 2011

Elevated level of polysaccharides in a high level UV-B tolerant cell line of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd

A cell line of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd with high level tolerance to UV-B radiation was obtained through exposure of the protoplasts to high doses of UV-B radiation at the intensity of 380 μW/cm2 for 240 s. The cell line was named anti-UV-B cell line and proved to be a mutant from the original protoplast by RAPD tests and kept the genetic stability among different generations....

Author(s): Yuzhong Li, Jing Fan, Haiying Ma, Fei Shen, Ge Zhang, Jianguang Wang,Guangmin Xia, Duoqing Fan and Suiyun Chen      

June 2011

The effect of different replications of humic acid fertilization on yield performances of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.)

This study was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in Diyarbakir, Turkey, in 2003 to 2004 and 2004 to 2005 growing seasons, in order to determine the effects of different humic acid treatments (control, soil 100%, seeds 100%, leaves 100%, soil 50% + seeds 50%, soil 50% + leaves 50%, seeds 50% + leaves 50% and seeds 33% + soil 33% + leaves 33% fertilizations) on herbage and crude...

Author(s): Veysel Saruhan, Alpaslan Kusvuran and Kagan Kokten        

June 2011

Effects of cluster reduction, herbagreen and humic acid applications on grape yield and quality of Horoz Karasi and Gök üzüm grape cultivars

his study was carried out in 5 BB rootstock grafted on Horoz Karasi and Gök üzümgrape varieties (Vitis vinifera L.) during the 2010 growth season. Effects of 1/3 clusterreduction (CR), 1/3 CR + herbagreen (HG) and 1/3 CR + humic acid (HA) applications on grape yield and quality of cultivars were examined. The results showed...

Author(s): Aydin Akin    

June 2011

Effects of some growth regulating applications on leaf yield, raw cellulose and nutrient element content of the Müşküle table grape variety

The vine leaf is an important dietary product for human nutrition by virtue of its high nutritious value and low calorie. This study was conducted in the Province of Konya in a vineyard belonging to a producer in the 2010 vegetation period. This study investigated the effects of repetitive applications of herbagreen (HG), humic acid (HA), combined foliar fertilizer (CFF) and HG+CFF performed in the MüÅŸküle...

Author(s): Aydin Akin      

June 2011

Effects of drought stress and different densities on oil yield and biomass yield of sunflower varieties

For evaluation of water deficit stress and planting density effects on the oil and biological yield attributes of sunflower, an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) based split plot factorial design in three replications in the research field of Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2009. The factors studied were irrigation (with 70, 140 and 210 mm water evaporation from the...

Author(s): Ahmad Afkari Bajehbaj    

June 2011

In vitro adventitious shoot regeneration and acclimatisation of Brassica oleracea subsp. italica cv. Green Marvel

Cotyledonary explants of Brassica oleracea subsp. italica (broccoli) cv. Green Marvel were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing different combinations of the growth regulators 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) for shoot regeneration. The optimal medium for inducing shoots contained 3 mgl-1 BAP and 1 mgl-1 NAA, which produced...

Author(s): Seyed Ali Ravanfar, Maheran Abdul Aziz, Mihdzar Abdul Kadir, Azmi Abdul Rashid and Fatemeh Haddadi    

June 2011

Evaluation of habitat and bio-diversity in landscape planning process: Example of SuÄŸla Lake and its surrounding area, Konya, Turkey

Landscape planning is a tool that creates a balance between human and nature in terms of protection and improvement. With the use of landscape ecology based approaches in landscape planning process, from the point of structure, function and changes of the landscapes, planning decisions can be taken more easily and scientifically. Within this concept, it is important to examine the function of habitat and bio-diversity...

Author(s): Osman UZUN, Gülay ÇETÄ°NKAYA, Figen DÄ°LEK, Sebahat AÇIKSÖZ Fusun ERDURAN  

June 2011

Nitrification and nitrifying bacteria in the Chengdu section of middle Min River (China)

The Min River is one of the most important tributaries of the upper Yangtze River. Its middle reach, below Chengdu city, receives large numbers of effluents from Sanwayao wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), where ammonia concentration raises significantly. In this study, the situation of ammonia pollution, nitrification and nitrifying bacteria in the Min River was studied during the year 2007 to 2008....

Author(s): Jie Zhang,, Da-Ping Li, Ping Gao, Yong Tao, Xiao-Mei Wang and Xiao-Hong He        

June 2011

Bioconversion of rape straw into a nutritionally enriched substrate by Ganoderma lucidum and yeast

This work aims to select biological treatments and conditions for the bioconversion of rape straw by the mixed-strain fermentation of Ganoderma lucidum and yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida tropicalis and Candida utilis), into an enriched substrate with increased crude protein and digestibility. Orthogonal experiment showed that the optimal experimental condition for the crude protein...

Author(s): Lixia Ke, Qing Wu and Dingqian Zhang        

June 2011

Impact of pEGFP mediated ING4 gene on growth of glioma U251 cells and its potential molecular mechanism

To investigate the impact of the inhibitor of growth family 4 (ING4) on growth of glioma cells (U251 cells) and its potential molecular mechanism, total RNA was extracted from the embryonic tissues and ING4 was amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pEGFP-C2 vector. U251 cells were transfected with eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP-ING4 mediated by cationic polymers polyethylenimine (PEI). Flow cytometry and...

Author(s): Yuefei Deng, Bingxi Lei and Yiying Zhao        

June 2011

Identification of species (meat and blood samples) using nested-PCR analysis of mitochondrial DNA

Crocodile meat product is an alternative protein source. Although, crocodile meat is more expensive, its taste is similar to that of chicken and fish. The authentication of commercial meat species is important for consumer’s confidence. In this study, sensitive and specific method multiplex nested-PCR was applied to identify commercial meat species. Dried blood was used as an alternative DNA source for...

Author(s): Sasimanas Unajak, Piyachat Meesawat, Komsan Anyamaneeratch, DuangtipAnuwareepong, Kornsorn Srikulnath, and Kiattawee Choowongkomon,        

June 2011

Neutralization effects of egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) and Fab’ fragment against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in burned mice model

The aim of this study is to evaluate the neutralization effects of egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) and Fab’ fragment against lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and identify possible approaches to prevent and treat LPS related injuries. Mice with third-degree burns covering 30% of the total body surface and exposed to LPS were orally administered with the IgY or Fab’ fragment of egg yolk immunoglobulin at 6, 12, 24 and...

Author(s): Siyuan Ma and Yaping Zhang      

June 2011

Genetic enrichment of cardiomyocytes derived from mouse embryonic stem cells

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESC) have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cell lineages in vitro, including cardiomyocytes. Successful applications of ESC-derived cardiomyocytes in cell therapy and tissue engineering were limited by difficulties in selecting the desired cells from the heterogeneous cell population. We describe a simple method to generate relatively pure cardiomyocytes from mouse...

Author(s): Wen-Jun He, Shi-Chong Li, Ling-Ling Ye, Hong Liu, Qi-Wei Wang, Wei-Dong Han, Xiao-Bing Fu, and Zhao-Lie Chen        

June 2011

Vulnerability of Megacephala (Grammognatha) euphratica euphratica Latreille & Dejean, 1822 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in natural and disturbed salt marsh and salt meadow habitats in Turkey

This study was carried out to determine the differentiation between populations inhabiting Megacephala euphratica euphratica & Dejean, 1822 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in natural and disturbed salt marsh habitats in Göksu (Mersin Province) and Çukurova (Adana Province) Deltas in Turkey, for the period of 2005 and 2010. Correlation between anthropogenic effects (cattle grazing and drainage...

Author(s): Gökhan Aydin