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: 26 December 2011; 10(84)

December 2011

Shoot regeneration and micropropagation of Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv. from ex vitro leaf-derived callus

The methods for leaf-derived callus induction, callus proliferation, adventitious shoot induction and plant regeneration of Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv.) were examined. In this study, callus induction was formed on both medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) alone or in combination with thidiazuron (TDZ). The highest callus induction frequency was obtained...

Author(s): Duong Tan Nhut, Nguyen Phuc Huy, Vu Quoc Luan, Nguyen Van Binh, Nguyen Ba Nam, Le Nu Minh Thuy, Dang Thi Ngoc Ha, Hoang Xuan Chien, Trinh Thi Huong, Hoang Van Cuong, Le Kim Cuong and Vu Thi Hien

December 2011

An analysis of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of Eucommia ulmoides using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers

Scientific approaches to conservation of threatened species depend on a good understanding of the genetic information of wild and artificial population. The genetic diversity and structure analysis of 10 Eucommia ulmoides population was analyzed using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers in this paper. A low genetic diversity at the population level (PPB=36.99%) and a high genetic diversity at the...

Author(s): Wu Ming-qian, Chen Shuang-lin, Wang Mei-xia and Yan Shu-zhen

December 2011

Molecular cloning and characterization of a pathogen-related protein PR10 gene in pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium) flower response to insect herbivore

In this study we successfully constructed a full-length cDNA library from open flower of pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium), the most well-known natural source of insecticide. By random sequencing, a gene coding pathogen-related (PR) protein PR10 was identified and characterized. It was designated as CcPR10, encoding a protein of 157 amino acids. The calculated molecular weight of...

Author(s): Wei Deng, Wan Ping Bian, Zhi Qiang Xian, Ying Wu Yang and Zheng Guo Li

December 2011

Development of long-term and reliable in vitro plant regeneration systems for elite malting barley varieties: Optimizing media formulation and explant selection

The response to in vitro tissue culture of five important Mexican malting barley cultivars namely ‘Armida’, ‘Esmeralda’, ‘Adabella’, ‘Esperanza’ and ‘Alina’, was evaluated. Callus induction and plant regeneration were evaluated in shoot apices and immature barley embryos harvested eight, 12, 16, 20 and 24 days after pollination. These explants were...

Author(s): Gerardo Armando Aguado-Santacruz, Ángeles Velázquez-Ordinola, Blanca Moreno-Gómez, Luisa Marina Gómez-Torres, Luís Febronio Díaz-Espino and Francisco Paúl Gámez Vázquez

December 2011

Effects of nitrogen fertilization on yield and grain quality in malting barley

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different nitrogen rates on the yield and physicochemical properties of four malting barley genotypes (Kristal, Premijum,Novi Sad 519 and Novi Sad 525). Three-year trials (2008 to 2010) were carried out onthe non-calcareous smonitza soil type. The following nitrogen...

Author(s): Snežana Jankovic, ĐorÄ‘e Glamočlija, Radojka Maletić, Sveto Rakić, Nikola Hristov and Jela Ikanović

December 2011

Influence of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) density and biomass on peanut (Arachis hypogaea) yield

Studies were conducted in 2004 and 2005 to evaluate the effect of redroot pigweed on peanut. Redroot pigweed aboveground dry weight was 44, 42, 40, 38, 35 and 30 g plant-1 at density of 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1.2, 2.3, or 4.7 plants m-1 of crop row. Peanut yield decreased as weed density increased. Yield reduction under redroot pigweed interference was 4.1 and 63.9% at 0.2 and 4.7 plants m-1 crop row,...

Author(s): Bekir Bukun

December 2011

Evaluation of some tree species for heavy metal biomonitoring and pollution tolerance index in Isfahan urban zone

It is well established that trees help to reduce air pollution, and there is a growing impetus for green belt expansion in urban areas. For greenbelt development, it is necessary to select plants that tolerant air pollution. In this study, the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of plant species was evaluated by analyzing some biochemical parameters. Concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and biochemical parameters were...

Author(s): Hossein Amini, Mehran Hoodaji and Payam Najafi

December 2011

Biodegradation of phenol by a newly isolated marine bacterial strain SM5

15 bacterial strains were isolated from marine sources on the beef extract-peptone agar plates with 1500 mg/L phenol. Among them, the strain SM5 could tolerate 4500 mg/L phenol on solid beef extract-peptone plates and its phenol biodegradation rate was 96.4% in basal salt (BS) medium under the optimum conditions when the concentration of phenol was 1000 mg/L. These conditions were; initial pH 7.0, 37°C, 3 days, 20...

Author(s): Cui Hong-xia,

December 2011

Purification and some kinetic properties of b-glucosidase from Aspergillus terreus NRRL 265

An intracellular b-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) from Aspergillus terreus NRRL 265 grown on whey permeate was purified to homogeneity as indicated by disc acrylamide gel electrophoresis with an apparent molecular mass of about 116 kDa. Optimal activity was observed at pH 5.0 and 60°C. The b-glucosidase had Km values of 2.5, 3.7 and 5.5 mM for p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (p-NPG),...

Author(s): Ali M. Elshafei, Mohamed M.Hassan, Nagwa M. Morsi and Dina H. Elghonamy

December 2011

Physico-chemical, functional and processing attributes of some potato varieties grown in Pakistan

A study was generated from six commercial potato varieties and studied for their physical, chemical, functional and processing attributes. Lady Rosetta followed by Hermes was the most appreciable varieties concerning their physical attributes. A positive correlation (R = 0.765) existed between tuber firmness and specific gravity. Lady Rosetta and Atlantic attained maximum dry matter and starch contents. Agria contained...

Author(s): Kashif S. Abbasi, Tariq Masud, Muhammad Gulfraz, Sartaj Ali and Muhammad Imran

December 2011

Optimization of process parameters for enhanced production of lipase by Penicillium notatum using agricultural wastes

In this study, cultural conditions were optimized for enhanced production of lipase byPenicillium notatum. Different agricultural wastes including canola oilseed cake, sesame oilseed cake, linseed oil cake, cotton oilseed cake, rice bran and wheat bran were used as substrates for their potential to be used for the production of lipase under solid state fermentation conditions. Among these, the canola oil seed cake...

Author(s): Saima Rehman, Haq Nawaz Bhatti, Ijaz Ahmad Bhatti and Muhammad Asgher

December 2011

Strain improvement in Trichoderma viride through mutation for overexpression of cellulase and characterization of mutants using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)

Cellulases are multi-enzymatic complex proteins that catalyze the conversion of cellulose to glucose. Indigenous strain of Trichoderma viride FCBP-142 was selected to develop over-producer of cellulases and subjected to mutagenesis withultra violet (UV) and chemical ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS). Among 178 survivals after UV irradiation, bigger zones of clearing on agar plates appeared around 81 colonies...

Author(s): Shazia Shafique, Rukhsana Bajwa and Sobiya Shafique

December 2011

Production and characterization of extracellular lipase secreted by Mucor geophillus

Nowadays, the growing interest in microbial lipase production by using the cheapest sources of carbon source, and its potential applications in biotechnological field has shown a remarkable place of prominence among the enzymes, owing to their significant ability to catalyze a wide variety of reactions in aqueous and non aqueous media. The purpose of this study was to enhance the production of lipase by Mucor...

Author(s): S. Habib Naqvi, M. Umar Dahot, Asghar Ali, M. Yakoub Khan and M. Rafiq

December 2011

Purification and characterization of b-1,4-glucosidase from Aspergillus glaucus

A -1,4-glucosidase (BG) was purified from fermentation liquor of Aspergillus glaucus by the following procedures: Ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, and hydrophobic chromatography on Phenyl Sepharose Fast Flow. The specific activity on salicin was determined as 1747.4 U/mg. The molecular weight of this enzyme was determined as 23.5 and 92.5 kDa with SDS-PAGE and gel...

Author(s): Su-Juan Ma#, Bo Leng#, Xin-Qi Xu, Xiang-Zhi Zhu, Yan Shi, Yi-Ming Tao, Shao-Xuan Chen, Min-Nan Long and Qing-Xi Chen

December 2011

Fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) promoter as a candidate for genetic engineering of fatty acids to improve seed oil composition

As an important cis-regulatory element, a promoter plays a key role in plant gene expression and regulation, and has been widely used in plant genetic engineering. The fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) promoter was isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana. Sequence analysis showed that the FAE1 promoter contains two Skn-1 motifs, one O2-site, and one G-box, which play important roles in...

Author(s): Hewei Du, Xiaohong Yang, Jianbing Yan and Jiansheng Li 

December 2011

Antioxidant property of wild and farmed sea bream (Sparus aurata) cooked in different ways

The antioxidant activity of water-soluble extracts of raw and cooked wild and farmed sea bream was evaluated. The cooked sea bream were steamed, boiled, grilled, oven cooked and fried with olive, corn, soybean and sunflower oils. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity (RSA) as well as the reducing power activity of different extracts increased linearly with...

Author(s): Amira Mnari Bhouri, Sonia Fekih, Jrah Harzallah Hanene, Dhibi Madiha, Bouhlel Imen, Mhamed ElCafsi, Mohamed Hammami and Abdelhamid Chaouch

December 2011

The chemical constituents of calabash (Crescentia cujete)

Virtually, all parts of the calabash (Crescentia cujete) tree have been found to be useful; the wood for tool handles, ribs in boat building, cattle yokes, and the gourd is used for cups, containers and musical instruments. The calabash (C. cujete) fruit was studied for its chemical constituents- proximate and mineral composition as well as phytochemical properties. The sugar content, energy content, electrical...

Author(s): Ejelonu BC, Oluwafemi AD, Lasisi AA, Olaremu AG and Ejelonu OC

December 2011

Evaluation of the amount of apically extruded debris using Mtwo and RaCe systems – An in vitro study

Extrusion of debris into the periradicular tissue during endodontic treatment is one of the main causes of postoperative flare-ups. The aim of this study was to compare the amount of apically extruded debris using Mtwo instruments with single length technique and RaCe system using crown-down approach. 40 extracted mandibular premolar were included in this study. The teeth were decoronated to establish a length of 15 mm....

Author(s): Mohammad Froughreyhani, Mehrdad Lotfi, Saeed Rahimi, Shahriar Shahi, Amin Salem Milani and Navide Mehanfar

December 2011

Suppression of vascular smooth muscle cells’ proliferation and migration by valsartan via MAPK pathway

This study aimed to determine the effects of valsartan on the proliferation and migration of isolated rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and the expression of phospho-p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) promoted by angiotensin II (Ang II). VSMCs from the rat thoracic aorta were cultured by attachment-block culture. VSMCs’ proliferation and migration were measured by MTT assay and migration...

Author(s): Songbiao Yan, Jiefeng Xu and Hui Chen

December 2011

The status of trace elements in lymphoma and esophageal cancer patients: A case study

Cancer is a life threatening disease. Many people die of cancer every year. Epidemiological studies suggest that alteration of trace elements in the body can contribute to the development of cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) in the blood, hair and nails of lymphoma and esophageal cancer (EC) patients in...

Author(s): Bashir Ahmad, Humaira Ghani, Sadiq Azam, Shumaila Bashir, and Naseem Begum

December 2011

Evaluation of the mortality of two stored-product insects by garlic emulsion (Sirinol) in combination with low air pressure

Although, there are a large number of suggested potential alternatives to methyl bromide for disinfestations of durable commodities, development alternatives are likely to be costly. The combined factors of methyl bromide phase-out, the gradual development of insect resistance to fumigants and undesirable effects of some fumigants residues in foodstuff, have led to the idea of using controlled...

Author(s): Mojtaba Ghane Jahromi, Ali Asgar Pourmirza and Mohammad Hasan Safaralizadeh

December 2011

Effects of thirty minute mobile phone irradiation on morphological and physiological parameters and gene expression in pregnant rats and their fetuses

We investigated the potential effects of 30 min irradiation from a mobile telecommunication system. 60 pregnant rats divided to three groups; the first serve as the control (G1, n = 20), the second (G2, n = 20) and third (G3, n = 20) were exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) from 1st to 20th (G2) and from 7th to 16th (G3) day of gestation respectively. The implantation sites, corpora lutea, living,...

Author(s): Ashraf El-Sayed, Hoda S. Badr, Rania Yahia, Salem M. Salem and Asmaa M. Kandil