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: 23 May 2011; 10(21)

October 2013

Apoptosis induced by Staphylococcus aureus in human monocytic U937 cells involves Akt and mitogen-activated protein (MAPK) phosphorylation

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a leading etiologic agent of nosocomial and community-acquired infectious diseases. Numerous studies have shown that, S. aureus could promote apoptosis in host cells. Unfortunately, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are still poorly understood. The present study aims to elucidate the signaling mechanisms involved in S....

Author(s): Jia-He Wang, Hui-Yan Niu, Meng Zhang, Ping He, Yi Zhang and Liang Kan

October 2013

Protein extraction from the stem of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer: A tissue of lower protein extraction efficiency for proteomic analysis

Ginseng stem, the aerial part of the ginseng is more susceptible to diseases and environmental damages in its long process of growth. Since the molecular mechanism of why ginseng stems are vulnerable remains unclear, the comparison between healthy and pathogen suspicious tissues via proteomics approaches, such as 2-DE, could facilitate the deciphering of the pathogenesis of ginseng and improve ginseng planting industry....

Author(s): Li-wei Sun, Peng-tao Ma, Dong-ni Li, Xiu-juan Lei, Rui Ma and Chao Qi

October 2013

X-Chromosomal short tandem repeat loci in the Turkish population

In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the importance and utility of polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) found on the human X chromosome and to provide the first allelic frequency data of X-STR (X chromosomal) loci in the Turkish population. Blood samples were taken from unrelated individuals (135 males and 129 females) from different regions of the country. Primers were designed according to gene bank data...

Author(s): Faruk AÅŸicioÄŸlu, Fatih Akyüz, Kursat Ozdilli, Fatma Oguz and Mahmut Çarin

October 2013

Bioinformatic data mining on UDP-glucose:flavonoid 7-O-glucosyltransferase (UBGAT) genes and their encoding proteins in two plants of genus Scutellaria

The GenBank sequences of UBGAT (UDP-glucose:flavonoid 7-O-glucosyltransferase) genes and their encoding proteins from Scutellaria baicalensisand Scutellaria laeteviolacea, were predicted and analyzed by some bioinformatics methods and tools such as expasy, vector NTI, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) etc. The results obtained are as follows:...

Author(s): Wei Lei, , Jidong Zhang, , Ruixia Yao and Aimin Qiao

May 2011

Molecular diversification and preliminary evaluations of some satsuma selections’ performance under mediterranean conditions

Satsuma (Citrus unshiu Marc.) has been cultivated for a long time in Turkey, and therefore variations for agronomical traits are likely among cultivated satsumas due to bud mutations. The objectives of this study were to determine variations for some selected agronomical traits and genetic markers among 21 new satsumas derived from selections. Fruit yield, fruit quality and molecular diversification of these clones...

Author(s): Meral Ä°ncesu, Önder Tuzcu, Turgut YeÅŸiloÄŸlu, Yıldız Aka Kaçar, Bilge Yıldırım, Melda Boncuk and Berken Çimen

May 2011

Additive main effects and multiplicative interactions (AMMI) analysis of dry leaf yield in tobacco hybrids across environments

To determine the yield stability, adaptability and analyze the genotype×environment of Virginia tobacco, 15 hybrids of tobacco including 10 Iranian and 5 international hybrids were evaluated in two different experiments (water stress and normal irrigation) using a randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications at two locations including Rasht and Tirtash Tobacco Research Centers, during the...

Author(s): S. M. Sadeghi, H. Samizadeh, E. Amiri and M. Ashouri

May 2011

Effects of seed priming and water potential on seed germination and emergence of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties in laboratory assays and in the field

Poor crop establishment is a major problem in wheat production due to low soil moisture. Two experiments were undertaken to determine the effects of seed priming on seed germination and seedling emergence of wheat varieties. The first experiment determined the effects of water potentials (0, -0.01, -0.1, -0.2, -0.5 and -1.5 MPa), seed hydro-priming treatments including non-primed, primed (without seed drying), primed...

Author(s): F. S. Murungu

May 2011

Symbiotic and phenotypic diversity of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae from Northern Gondar, Ethiopia

Rhizobia that nodulate cool season legumes are widely spread in the Mediterranean and highland agro ecosystems. Faba bean is one of these important crops that represent the major protein source of human nutrition, cash crop for farmers and component of the farming systems. This study is aimed at identifying rhizobia isolates capable of guarantying efficient nitrogen derived from biological nitrogen fixation.  Due...

Author(s): Zerihun Belay and Fassil Assefa

May 2011

Alleviating effect of exogenous nitric oxide in cucumber seedling against chilling stress

Nitric oxide (NO) is a bioactive and a multifunctional gaseous molecule signal playing a central role and mediating variety of physiological processes in plants. In this study, the protective effect against chilling stress of exogenously applied sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a NO donor) in Cucumis sativus L. cv ZND407 and cv ZND461 was investigated. The SNP was sprayed over cucumber seedlings using different...

Author(s): Xingwang Liu, Lei Wang, Liying Liu, Yangdong Guo and Huazhong Ren

May 2011

Characteristics of micro-propagated banana (Musa spp.) cultures stressed with NaCl and polyethylene glycol

The effect of NaCl and PEG was assessed on plant micro-propagation rate in banana (Musa spp.) cv., Basrai. Well micro-propagated plantlets were cultured on four different stresses of NaCl and PEG-4000 including control level: MS2b (MS0 + 3.0 mg l-1 BAP), MS2c (MS0 + 100 mol m-3 NaCl), MS2d (MS0 + 5% PEG) and MS2e (MS0 + 100 mol m-3 NaCl + 5 % PEG) for 6-weeks....

Author(s): Ikram-ul-Haq, Madiha Fatima, Hina Shaikh, Muhammad Umar Dahot, Muhammad Tahir Rajput , Furqan Memon, Ali Muhammad Dahri, Shah Nawaz  and Abdul Latif

May 2011

The effect of the process parameters in the planing processes on the surface roughness of cherry and pear woods

In this study, the effects of the process parameters in the planing processes on the surface roughness were investigated. For this purpose, the experimental samples of cherry (Prunus avium L.) and pear (Pirus communis L.) wood species, which are commonly used in the Turkish decoration industry, were prepared. In preparing the experimental samples, the wood was planed tangentially and...

Author(s): Cevdet Sogutlu and Abdullah Togay

May 2011

Genetic adaptability of durum wheat to salinity level at germination stage

Evaluation of genetic adaptability of durum wheat to different levels of salt was conducted at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis from April to May 2010 to improve salt tolerance during germination stage. For this purpose, two crosses and their progenies (F1, F2, BC1Ps and BC1Pr) were used based on shoot length at different salinity levels (0, 50, 75, 100, 150...

Author(s): Bnejdi Fethi, Rassaa Neila, Saadoun Mourad, Mouna Nouari and El Gazzeh Mohamed

May 2011

The genetic mineralogical characteristics of fish otoliths and their environmental typomorphism

Otolith is a typical biomineral carrier growing on insides of fish skull with prominent zoning structure formed by alternating layers of protein and calcium carbonate around the nucleus. The zoning number and the thickness of the rhythmic zone can reflect the age and the growing velocity. The δ18O values of the calcium carbonate are indicators of the temperature of the water where the fish lives. The...

Author(s): Li Shengrong, Du Fengqin, Yan Lina, Cao Ye, Luo Junyan, Gao Yonghua, Yang Liangfeng and Tong Jinggui

May 2011

Volume equalization method for land grading design: Uniform sloped grading in one direction in rectangular fields

Land grading is an important procedure at accomplishing the efficient surface irrigation. This paper presents a new method (volume equalization method-VEM) which has been developed to perform land grading design in designing the uniform sloped grading in one direction. The main goal of this method was to minimize the volumes of earth work required for acceptable smooth surface. The method is based on the assumption...

Author(s): Yasar Ayranci and Kadir Ersin Temizel

May 2011

The long-term effects of alfalfa on soil water content in the Loess Plateau of northwest China

Soil desiccation is the most serious problem in forest vegetations and grassland, which lead to widespread land degradation in the Loess Plateau of China. The soil water variations at 0 to 1000 cm depth of different vegetations were studied to explore the hydrological effects of vegetations and determine the optimal length of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) phase at the Zhenyuan Agri-ecological Station of the Loess...

Author(s): Xiaolong Ren,, Zhikuan Jia,, Sumei Wan, Qingfang Han,, and Xiaoli Chen

May 2011

Efficiency of rice straw lignocelluloses degradability by Aspergillus terreus ATCC 74135 in solid state fermentation

The ability of Aspergillus terreus for the production of cellulolytic enzymes and reduction of lignocellulose contents of rice straw in solid state fermentation was investigated in this study. Results suggested that, 8 days fermentation was appropriate, with enzymes activities as follows: FPase = 410.76 U/gDM, CMCase = 351.96U/gDM, β-glucosidase = 16.37 U/gDM, xylanase = 6166.01 U/gDM and amyloglucosidase...

Author(s): Jahromi M.F., J.B. Liang, M. Rosfarizan, Y.M. Goh, P. Shokryazdan and Y.W. Ho

May 2011

Consumer sensory evaluation of meat from South African goat genotypes fed on a dietary supplement

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of genotype and supplementary feeding on sensory scores of chevon from different indigenous goat genotypes prepared using different thermal treatments. 48 6-month-old Xhosa lop-eared (XLE), Nguni (NGN), Xhosa-Boer cross (XBC) and Boer (BOR) castrated goats with a body weight range of between 20 and 25 kg was used in the study. Half of the goats were supplemented with...

Author(s): N. M. Xazela, M. Chimonyo, V. Muchenje and U. Marume

May 2011

The effect of different packaging materials on proteolysis, sensory scores and gross composition of tulum cheese

In this study, tulum cheese was manufactured using raw ewe’s milk and was ripened in goat’s skin and plastic bags. The effect of ripening materials (skin bag or plastic) on proteolysis was investigated during 120 days of ripening. In addition, sensory scores of the cheeses were assessed at the 90th and 120th days. The gross composition was also determined at the initial stage of ripening. The results showed...

Author(s): Songul Cakmakci, Mustafa Gurses and Engin Gundogdu

May 2011

Variation for carbon isotope ratio in a set of emmer (Triticum dicoccum Schrank) and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accessions

A high level of drought tolerance is an important objective in breeding new generation wheat varieties. A group of six landraces of the emmer wheat (Triticum diccocum Schrank), as well as two landraces, two old cultivars and two modern varieties of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were evaluated for their ability to discriminate 13C, a trait related to stomatal closure and consequently, an important...

Author(s): Petr Konvalina, Ivana Capouchová, ZdenÄ›k Stehno, Jan Moudrý, Jan Moudrý jr. and László Márton

May 2011

Energy sources of yoghurt bacteria and enhancement of their galactose uptake

The energy sources of yoghurt bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus andLactobacillus bulgaricus) were examined with a focus on probable impact of sucrose on their galactose uptake. Yoghurt bacteria were isolated from samples of yoghurt which were purchased from different outlets and kept under refrigeration conditions throughout the period of isolation using nutrient agar (NA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA). After...

Author(s): A. A. Sobowale, M. O. Efuntoye and O. O. Adesetan

May 2011

Production of fish finger from sand smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) and determination of quality changes

In this study, changes of chemical, microbiological load and sensory properties of fish fingers prepared from sand smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) were investigated during storage (for 6 months at -18°C). The fish finger nutritional composition changed with the fish finger process. The changes in moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash components between fresh sand smelt and fish fingers fingers were...

Author(s): Levent Izci, Åžengül Bilgin and Ali Günlü

May 2011

Antioxidant properties of banana flower of two cultivars in China using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH,) reducing power, 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate (ABTS) and inhibition of lipid peroxidation assays

In this study, the antioxidant properties of banana flower extracts (cvs. Baxijiao (AAA) and Paradisiaca   (AAB)) were analysed by using several biochemical assays which include 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, 2, 2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate (ABTS) radical scavenging activities and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in egg lecithin...

Author(s): Zhan-Wu Sheng, Wei-Hong Ma, Jin-He Gao, Yang Bi, Wei-Min Zhang, Hua-Ting Dou, Zhi-Qiang Jin

May 2011

Deactivation of tannins in raisin stalk by polyethylene glycol-600: Effect on degradation and gas production in vitro

An experiment was conducted to assess the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) and urea on dry and organic matter digestibility (IVDMD and IVOMD, respectively) and gas production in vitro. Raisin stalk contained 8.6% crude protein, 85% dry matter, 7% ash, 13.95% total extractable phenol (TEPH) and 2.13% total extractable tannin (TET). The experimental treatments were: raisin with no supplementation as...

Author(s): L. Angaji, M. Souri and M. M. Moeini

May 2011

Changes in growth, survival and digestive enzyme activities of Asian redtail catfish, Mystus nemurus, larvae fed on different diets

A study was conducted to determine the effects of different dietary treatments on the growth, survival and digestive enzyme activities of Mystus nemurus larvae. Newly hatched larvae were reared for 14 days in twelve 15 L glass aquaria (for growth and survival) and eight 300 L fiberglass tanks (for enzyme samples) at a stocking density of 15 larvae L-1. Beginning at 2 days, the larvae were randomly assigned...

Author(s): M. S. Kamarudin, S. Otoi and C. R. Saad

May 2011

Breeding ecology of the Iranian ground jay (Podoces pleskei)

Although Podoces pleskei is the only endemic bird of Iran, little information exists on its ecological features, population dynamics and threats that concern it. This species occurs in desert and semi desert areas, mostly on the Iranian plateau, though its range spreads southeast ward to the Iran-Pakistan border. In this research, a total of 52 nests were studied in three locations, the “Ghare...

Author(s): H. Radnezhad, N. Satei, M. Kaboli, M. Karami, R. Prodon, M. Foroughi Abari and S. Cheraghi

May 2011

Description of a new species of Megastigmus Dalman (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Torymidae) from Saudi Arabia

A new species, Megastigmus asir, sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) which emerged from seeds of Juniperus procera (Cupressaceae) collected from Jabel Al sodah, Asir region, Saudi Arabia is described and illustrated. The genus,Megasitigmus Dalman, is recorded for the first time from Saudi Arabia.   Key words: Megastigmus, Torymidae, new records, new species, Juniperus...

Author(s): Hamed A. Ghramh and Ali A. Shati

May 2011

Application of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of the random insertion mobile element (RIME - LAMP) to diagnose camel Trypanosomiasis in Sudan

Control of Trypanosomiasis is dependent on accurate diagnosis and treatment of infected patients or animals. Highly sensitive tests are available for serological screening but the sensitivity of parasitological confirmatory tests remains insufficient and needs to be improved. Ongoing research is opening perspectives for a new generation of field diagnostics. This study aimed to apply and investigate new...

Author(s): Mubarak M. Abdelrahman, Ehab A. Frah, Dianah Katiti, Enock Matovuand Intisar E. Elrayah

May 2011

Effects of mixed volatile fatty acid sodium salt on insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in plasma and rumen tissue, and rumen epithelium development in lambs

Fifteen cross-bred male lambs (Dorset × Small Tail Han), aged 7 weeks, with average liveweight of 13.8±0.8 kg, were used to study effects of feeding mixed volatile fatty acid (VFA) sodium salt on insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in plasma and rumen tissue and rumen epithelium development. The lambs were randomly divided into 5 groups with 3...

Author(s): Xi-Hong Ding and Guang-Yong Zhao