African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12474

Table of Content: 27 July 2011; 10(39)

July 2011

Analysis of diversity genetic of Moroccan net blotch populations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers

Net blotch caused by Pyrenophora teres f. teres is the most harmful foliar disease in barley generating significant economic losses in Morocco. Populations of P. teres f. teres were collected from different regions of Morocco. Thirty five (35) P. teres f. teres isolates, single conidial, were isolated and were subjected to molecular study using amplified fragment length...

Author(s): Bentata, F., Labhilili, M., El Aissami, A., Bary, S., Yeslem, C. H. and Ibijbijen, J.

July 2011

ZNF 197L is dispensable in mouse development

The gene trap technique is a newly powerful approach for characterizing and mutating genes in mouse. We used gene trap method to identify mice gene of unknown function and to establish their mouse line. Here, we found one such gene termed as Ayu17-923 (similar to zinc finger protein 197 transcript variant 2, ZNF 197L), which is located on mouse chromosome 3 encoding 136 amino acids carrying a KRAB domain in...

Author(s): Renkuan Tang, Ge Xu, Araki Kimi, Jingling Shen, Zhenghua Li, Kenichi Yamamura and Hua Tang

July 2011

A novel missense mutation of bovine lipase maturation factor 1 (LMF1) gene and its association with growth traits

Lipase maturation factor 1 (LMF1) gene is a novel candidate gene in severe hypertriglyceridemia. To detect the polymorphism in LMF1 gene in 804 Chinese cattle, we firstly described the polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP), DNA sequence and PCR-RFLP methods for detecting mutations of LMF1 gene, which affected growth and development in animal. The results...

Author(s): Gang Ren, Jun-Xia Liu, Fei Li, Xian-Yong Lan, Mi-Jie Li, Zhi-Ying Zhangand Hong Chen

July 2011

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a zeta-class glutathione S-transferase gene in sugarcane

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in stress tolerance in plants. This is the first report of cloning and characterization of a zeta-class GSTgene in sugarcane (GenBank Accession number: GQ246461). Sequence analysis showed that the cDNA sequence of Sc-GST gene was 829 bp, contained a 621 bp open reading frame (ORF), the 5’ untranslated region (UTR) of 65 bp and 3’UTR of...

Author(s): Youxiong Que, Jinxian Liu, Liping Xu, Jinrong Guo, Jingsheng Xu and Rukai Chen

July 2011

Apolipoprotein D, apolipoprotein R and ST6GalNAc4 genes respond to clenbuterol administration in pig adipose tissue

Pig fat accumulation can be reduced by feeding pigs with high dosages of clenbuterol, but the molecular mechanism has not yet been well characterized. cDNA microarray and real-time PCR were used to identify the molecules potentially responding to clenbuterol in adipose cells. The mRNAs of 17 genes were found to be differentially expressed more than 2 fold (ratios of the expression levels in the test pigs to those in the...

Author(s): Jin Zhang, Jiali Lin, Liangcai Shen, Fan Zhang, Yingbo Zhu and Libin Zheng

July 2011

Interactive effects of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobial strains on chickpea growth and nutrient content in plant

Legumes form a tripartite symbiosis with Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia. Chickpea plants were inoculated with six strains of Mesorhizobium ciceriand three AMF species, Glomus intraradices (GI), G. mosseae (GM) and G. etunicatum (GE). The plants inoculated with a number of AMF species and bacterial strains increased overall plant dry mass compared to...

Author(s): Alireza Tavasolee, Nasser Aliasgharzad, Gholamreza SalehiJouzani, ‎Mohsen Mardi, and Ahmad Asgharzadeh‎

July 2011

Effects of wax treatment on quality and postharvest physiology of pineapple fruit in cold storage

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) is an important fruit crop grown in tropical and subtropical areas. Cold storage is one of methods for prolonging postharvest storage life for pineapple fruit. A major problem of this method is that low temperature causes chilling injury symptoms in fruits and deterioration of their quality and nutritional values. This study aimed to find a new way to effectively...

Author(s): Huigang Hu, Xueping Li, Chen Dong and Weixin Chen

July 2011

Embryogenesis of Gentiana straminea and assessment of genetic stability of regenerated plants using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker

Gentiana straminea Maxim is an endangered medicinal plant in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. To speed up the production of this species, an in vitro protocol for efficient plant regeneration was developed from its leaf explants. Auxins and cytokinin alone or in combination were examined for their effects on callus induction and plant regeneration. The results indicated that Murashige and Skoog medium...

Author(s): Tao He, Lina Yang and Zhigang Zhao

July 2011

Development of efficient micropropagation protocol for Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal

The present study describes the development of efficient micropropagation protocol for a commercially important medicinal plant Withania coagulans. Nodal segments were immersed in various concentrations of cefotaxime, viz 100, 250, 500 and 750 mgl-1 for 5 min and implanted on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) medium fortified with 6-benzyladenine (BA) (2 to 4 mgl-1) or indolebutyric acid (IBA) (0.25 to 0.5...

Author(s): Jafar Valizadeh and Moharm Valizadeh

July 2011

Physiological responses of two rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes to chilling stress at seedling stage

In this study, quantitative changes of dry matter, proline and total soluble protein in shoot and root, stomatal conductance (gs), total chlorophyll, chlorophyll stability index (CSI( and soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) number of latest fully-expanded leaves were determined in an Iranian cold-sensitive rice genotype (Hoveizeh) in comparison to an international check genotype (IRCTN34, cold-tolerant). The...

Author(s): A. Aghaee, F. Moradi, H. Zare-Maivan, F. Zarinkamar, H. Pour Irandoostand P. Sharifi

July 2011

Anatomical features of the medicinal importance of Aloe excelsa (Berger)

Aloe excelsa exhibits characteristics similar to those found in other Aloe species within the genus Aloe. The general characteristics of the genus Aloe are typical of monocotyledonous plants and the analysis is based on morphological characteristics which include leaf and floral arrangements. These include the rosette arrangement of the leaves, the compact raceme inflorescence stalk and the...

Author(s): R. M. Coopoosamy and K. K. Naidoo

July 2011

Inhibition of bacterial adhesion to HT-29 cells by lipoteichoic acid extracted from Clostridium butyricum

The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of the lipoteichoic acid (LTA) extracted from Clostridium butyricum on the adhesion of C. butyricum andEscherichia coli to HT-29 human intestinal cells. The method of extraction of lipoteichoic acid form C. butyricum by TX114 was evaluated. The purification of the LTA by DEAE-cellulose 52 anion...

Author(s): Q. X. Gao, T. X. Wu, J. B. Wang and Q. C. Zhuang

July 2011

The subunits analysis of R-phycoerythrin from marine red algae by isoelectric focusing

Subunit components of R-phycoerythrins (R-PEs) prepared from five marine macro red algae were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate -polyarylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and by isoelectric focusing (IEF) in pH gradients range of 3.0 to 9.5, 2.5 to 5.0 and 4.0 to 6.5. Riboflavin was used to catalyze polymerization of IEF gel in acidic pH gradients, and ethanolamine and HEPES were selected as cathode buffers for IEF....

Author(s): Xuejun Fu, Li Sun, Guanpin Yang, Wang Lu, Mingri Zhao, Xueqin Gong

July 2011

Comparison of protein extraction methods suitable for proteomics analysis in seedling roots of Jerusalem artichoke under salt (NaCl) stress

An efficient protein extraction method is a prerequisite for successful implementation of proteomics. In this study, seedling roots of Jerusalem artichoke were treated with the concentration of 250 mM NaCl for 36 h. Subsequently, six different protocols of protein extraction were applied to seedling roots of Jerusalem artichoke for comparing extraction efficiency by conducting two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). The...

Author(s): Qiang Chen,†, Mei-De Zhang,† and Shi-Hua Shen

July 2011

Antimicrobial potentials of Eclipta alba by disc diffusion method

This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial potentials of methanol, petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol and water extracted samples from the aerial parts of Eclipta alba against nine microbial species. The antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) susceptibility was screened by disc diffusion assay. The tested microbial species were Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis,...

Author(s): Jehan Bakht, Amjad Islam, Huma Ali, Muhammad Tayyab and Mohammad Shafi

July 2011

Functional antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory properties of extracts of Taiwanese pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck)

In recent years, the overproduction of citrus fruits has resulted in an unnecessary increase in agricultural wastes in Taiwan. In an attempt to find an application for these potentially valuable wastes, we evaluated the antioxidant and whitening properties of six Taiwanese pummelo varieties (Miyu Shihtouyu Taipeiyu Touyu Wentan and Hsishihyu). The methanolic extract of Citrus grandis Osbeck Miyu (Miyu)...

Author(s): Sz-jie Wu, Chang-Chai Ng, Wen-Sheng Tzeng, Kuo-Chieh Ho and Yuan Tay Shyu

July 2011

Molecular assessment of clarithromycin resistant Helicobacter pylori strains using rapid and accurate PCR-RFLP method in gastric specimens in Iran

Currently, a seven-day, triple-drug regimen has been recommended as one of the first-line therapies for Helicobacter pylori management in which clarithromycin is a key component. Development of clarithromycin resistance leads to the long term assessment of the efficacy of clarithromycin in the triple-drug regimen. The aim of this study was to rapidly and directly assess clarithromycin resistance point...

Author(s): Mohammad Kargar, Sadegh Ghorbani-Dalini, Abbas Doosti and Maryam Baghernejad

July 2011

Studies on Buddleja asiatica antibacterial, antifungal, antispasmodic and Ca++ antagonist activities

Crude extract of Buddleja asiatica Lour and its fractions, chloroform (F1), ethyl acetate (F2) and n-butanol (F3) were evaluated for antibacterial, antifungal, antispasmodic and Ca++ antagonist activities. The antibacterial activity was performed against 11 types of bacteria. The crude extract and fractions F2 and F3 exhibited significant activity, while F1 showed low activity in killing the Shigella...

Author(s): Farman Ali, Irshad Ali, Hidayat Ullah Khan, Arif-ullah Khan, and Anwarul Hassan Gilani

July 2011

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Cladophora glomerata (L.) Kütz. in Caspian Sea Coast, Iran

Cladophora is one of the largest filamentous green-algal genus and has a widespread distribution in Caspian Sea Coast. This study aimed at assaying the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Cladophora glomerata in South of Caspian sea. The antioxidant activity of the extract was investigated, including the total phenolic contents (3077 ± 105 mg gallic acid equivalent g-1 of...

Author(s): Saeid Soltani, Sara Saadatmand, Ramzanali Khavarinejad and Taher Nejadsattari

July 2011

Study on wing fanning as a signal of sexual response and courtship behavior of Bactrocera papayae

A series of experiments was carried out at the Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya to identify wing fanning as an attraction or signal of sexual response and courtship behavior of Bactrocera papayae. Sexual natures such as signal or attraction and courtship behavior were determined through males and females with modified wings and sensory receptors, respectively. Wing fanning was effective to...

Author(s): M. Sofian-Azirun, F. A. Muttardi, M. Rosli Hashim and M. Motior Rahman

July 2011

Differential protein expression in maize (Zea mays) in response to insect attack

Maize (Zea mays) is a major food stable in sub-Saharan Africa. However, yields are constrained by insect pests. Insect feeding induces a number of changes in genes encoding different proteins and the plant’s response can either be direct or indirect, or both. In this study, maize plants were infested with two insects with different feeding strategies (Spodoptera littoralis, chewing insect and Busseola...

Author(s): Derick George, Olubukola O. Babalola and A.M.R. Gatehouse

July 2011

In vitro gas production of wheat grain flour coated with different fat types and levels

Gas production (GP) is a rapid method for feedstuffs assessment. A study was done to investigate wheat grain coated with hydrogenated tallow (HT) and hydrogenated palm oil (HP) of different fatty acids types and levels to study total gas production. Approximately, 200 mg (DM basis) of sample was weighed and inserted in glass syringes, mixed with the inoculum and artificial saliva, then incubated at 39°C in a...

Author(s): H. R. Mohammadian-Tabrizi, H. Sadeghipanah, M. Chamani, Y. Ebrahim-Nejad and H. Fazaeli

July 2011

Effect of obestatin on morphometry of testes and testosterone secretion in male rats

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of chronic intra peritoneal administration of obestatin on plasma testosterone concentrations and cellular morphometry of the testes in male Sprague Dawly rats. The treatment groups were injected with obestatin (1 nmol/100 µl saline i.p), while the control groups received saline (100 µl i.p) for ten consecutive days. Blood samples were collected at day 1 and 10...

Author(s): Sarwat Jahan, Tabinda Sidrat, Shakeel Ahmed, Hizbullah Wazir and Kamran Ullah