African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12497

Table of Content: 31 January 2012; 11(9)

January 2012

Genome analyses of Nocardia farcinica for the identification and comparison of cytochrome P450 complement with related actinomycetes

  Nocardia pathogenic strains are occasionally found to be resistant to many antibiotics but also have the ability to produce antibiotics, which involve a variety of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. Nocardia farcinica IFM 10152 contains 27 CYPs, most of which clustered with ferredoxin, ferredoxin reductase or regulatory genes. These CYPs were designated to subfamilies in this study and their genome...

Author(s):   Ning Qiu, Meihu Ma and Gang Chen  

January 2012

Genetic diversity of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) populations revealed by sequence specific amplified polymorphism (SSAP) markers

  This study used sequence specifc amplifcation polymorphism (SSAP) markers to investigate the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of nine Tunisian Vicia faba populations belonging to the minor and major faba bean’s sub-species. Threeprimers were used (PDR1, Tps19 and Tvf4) in this study. These primers gave good SSAP marker profiles, high number of...

Author(s):   Ali Ouji, Safia El Bok, Naeem H. Syed, Raoudha Abdellaoui, Mustapha Rouaissi, Andrew J. Flavell and Mohamed El Gazzah

January 2012

Molecular characterization of Yucatan tomato phytoplasma (Group 16Sr III)

  Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is an important vegetable crop in Mexico. Recently, a phytoplasma associated with leaf yellowing and curling, severe stunting and little leaf in tomato plant was identified as Yucatan tomato phytoplasma (16SrIII group). DNAs extracted from tomato leaves with symptoms were examined for the presence of this phytoplasma by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Positive...

Author(s):   Raul Tapia-Tussell, Alba Suaste-Dzul, Alberto Cortes-Velazquez, Claudia Torres-Calzada, Andres Quijano-Ramayo, Rodolfo Martin-Mex, Angel Nexticapan-Garcez and Daisy Perez-Brito

January 2012

The validity of using juvenile stages for evaluation of salt stress tolerance of Triticum durum genotypes

  The aim of this work was to evaluate eight North African wheat genotypes (Triticum durum) on the basis of their salt stress tolerance. The effect of this abiotic constraint was investigated at tillering stage using hydroponic culture. Some growth and development parameters were measured between three and six leaves stages and also at harvest. Data were submitted to a comparative canonic analysis followed by a...

Author(s):   Rassaa N., Bnejdi F., Chalh A. and El Gazzah M.  

January 2012

Studies of occurrence of pod borer Heliothis viriplaca in relation to the phenology of chickpea in rain-fed chickpea fields in Kermanshah region of Iran

  In order to determine the seasonal occurrence of Heliothis viriplaca as well as the best timing of sprays in relation to the phenology of chickpea, light-traps and monitoring methods were applied. All experiments were conducted in two research stations (Mahidasht and Sararood) in 2003 and 2004. The results of adult moths caught by light-traps showed that this pest has only one generation per year...

Author(s):   Morteza Kahrarian

January 2012

Toxin production by Fusarium solani from declining citrus plants and its management

  The core purpose of this current research was to meticulously survey four tehsils of Sargodha district and to probe the present status of citrus decline in infected citrus orchards. The utmost fungi (39.52%) were secluded from the roots followed by the soil (38.86%). The highest Fusarium sp. followed by Aspergillus, Phytophthora,...

Author(s):   Abdul Rehman, Atta Rehman U., Nazir Javed, Aman Ullah Malik and Saira Mehboob

January 2012

Effects of heat treatment on density, dimensional stability and color of Pinus nigra wood

  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on some physical properties and color change of Pinus nigra wood which has high industrial use potential and large growing stocks in Turkey. Wood samples which comprised the material of the study were obtained from an industrial plant. Samples were subjected to heat treatment process of varying temperatures (190, 200, 212 and...

Author(s):   Bilgin Guller

January 2012

Effect of pH, temperature and water activity on the inhibition of Botrytis cinerea by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens isolates

  A total of 321 bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of healthy strawberry (Fragaria X ananassa Duch.) plants harvested from different places in Zlaoula area (Larache, Morocco). They were screened by dual testing for in vitroantagonism towards Botrytis cinerea (Bt7). Nine antagonistic strains were retained. Their effectiveness was evaluated according to...

Author(s):   Hamdache Ahlem, Ezziyyani Mohammed, Alain Badoc and Lamarti Ahmed  

January 2012

Effects of calcium and humic acid treatment on the growth and nutrient uptake of Oriental lily

  Humic acid (HA) may facilitate plant growth by improving the nutrient uptake as well as through hormonal effects. Studies were conducted to investigate the effect of a mixture of calcium and HA on Oriental lily, which is sensitive to calcium deficiency. Two levels of Ca (3.5 and 7.0 meq/L) were combined with 500 mg/L HA and applied to the nutrient solution of the Lilium Oriental hybrid...

Author(s):   Le Chang, Yun Wu, Wei-wei XU, Ali Nikbakht, and Yi-ping Xia  

January 2012

Role of mycorrhizal fungi and salicylic acid in salinity tolerance of Ocimum basilicum resistance to salinity

  Salinity is one of the common agricultural and biological problems. Most researchers showed that inoculation of plants with mycorrhizal fungi and using salicylic acid increase tolerance of plants due to salinity. In this study, the effect of mycorrhizal fungi, including Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices, and salicylic acid (0.2 mM) on tolerance of green basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) to salinity...

Author(s):   Enteshari. Shekoofeh, Hajbagheri. Sepideh, Razavizadeh. Roya  

January 2012

Anti-nutrient components of guinea grass (Panicum maximum) under different nitrogen fertilizer application rates and cutting management

  This research was carried out in 2004 in the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The study investigated the anti-quality factors in Panicum maximum under different N-fertilizer application rates and cutting management. The experiment was a 4 × 4 factorial laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments comprised four levels of...

Author(s):   Onyeonagu, C. C. and Ukwueze, C. C.    

January 2012

A survey of common habits of computer users as indicators of possible environmental contamination and cross infection source

  Hygiene has been recognized as an infection control strategy and the extent of the problems of environmental contamination largely depends on personal hygiene. With the development of several computer applications in recent times, the uses of computer systems have greatly expanded. And with the previous history of cross contamination of environmental objects, suggests that computer system may be another...

Author(s):   Ubani, E. K, Oluduro, A. O, E. K. and Ofoezie, I. E.  

January 2012

Effects of high concentration of chromium stress on physiological and biochemical characters and accumulation of chromium in tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.)

  We studied the effects of high concentration of chromium (Cr) stress on physiological and biochemical characters and accumulation of Cr in Pingyang Tezao tea [Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kutze 'Pingyangtezao'] through a pot experiment. The results show that the indicators of photosynthesis were all suppressed with increasing Cr stress, and antioxidation and protection systems...

Author(s):   Jianmin Tang, Jingyi Xu, Yongsheng Wu, Yansheng Li and Qian Tang  

January 2012

Spatial and vertical distribution of bacteria in the Pearl River estuary sediment

  In order to investigate the spatial and vertical change of bacteria community structure in the Pearl River estuary sediment, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and multivariate statistical analyses were carried out in this study. Results of multidimensional scaling analyses (MDS) were in good agreement with the DGGE band patterns suggesting that vertical depth had a significant impact on...

Author(s):   Fu-Lin Sun, , You-Shao Wang, , Mei-LinWu, Yu-Tu Wang,  and Qian P. Li

January 2012

Arsenic, boron and salt resistant Bacillus safensis MS11 isolated from Mongolia desert soil

  Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid, having both properties of a metal and a non-metal. Boron (B) is a non-metal, essential micronutrient for plants growth and development but its excess can be toxic to plants with various levels. In this study arsenic, boron and salt resistant bacteria were isolated from desert soil, Mongolia. The bacterial screening was carried out by serial...

Author(s):   Chellaiah Edward Raja and Kiyoshi Omine  

January 2012

Biosorption of Cadmium from Aqueous Solutions Using A local Fungus Aspergillus cristatus (Glaucus Group)

  Cadmium (Cd) (II) resistant strain of a marine fungus, named Aspergillus cristatuswas isolated from heavy metals polluted area in the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria, Egypt during autumn, 2009. It could tolerate up to 100 mg l–1. Optimization of culture conditions for production of fungal biomass fortifying maximum Cd (II) removal was done by applying Placket Burman experimental design. Under...

Author(s):   Sahar W. Hassan and Hala Y. El-Kassas

January 2012

Bacterial community patterns of municipal water of Sukkur city in different seasons

  The objective of this study was to determine whether there was an association of seasonal variation and bacterial communities of municipal water. The sampling was carried out fortnightly after a flow time of 5 min to eliminate any contaminant present in the mouth of tap in sterilized screw caped 500 ml white glass flasks (Pyrex), containing 0.1 ml of a 1.8% solution of sodium thiosulphate pentahydrate...

Author(s):   Abdul Hussain Shar, Yasmeen Faiz Kazi, Nisar Ahmed Kanhar and Irshad Hussain Soomro  

January 2012

In vitro regeneration, flowering, and cell culture of Centaurea species

  This study was conducted to establish a protocol for in vitro flowering of Centaurea cyanus and cell cultures of Centaurea montana. In four weeks, 50 to 60 adventitious shoots developed on leaf explants cultured in MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.1 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). In vitroflowering and seed set occurred in C....

Author(s):   Wissam A. Alaiwi, Rudrabhatla V. Sairam, Puthiyaparambil C. Josekutty, Shobha D. Potlakayala, Deepkamal Karelia and Stephen L. Goldman

January 2012

Rapid and non-destructive discrimination of tea varieties by near infrared diffuse reflection spectroscopy coupled with classification and regression trees

  The current study attempted to rapidly and non-destructively discriminate the diverse varieties of tea (that is, Biluochun, Longjing, Maojian, Qihong, Tieguanyin, and Yinzhen) via utilizing near infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy coupled with pattern recognition strategies. Before the recognition analysis, the original NIR spectra were pre-processed by second derivative treatment followed by...

Author(s):   Shi-Miao Tan, Rui-Min Luo, Yan-Ping Zhou, Hong Gong and Ze Tan

January 2012

Purification and characterization of a keratinase from the feather-degrading cultures of Aspergillus flavipes

  Keratinase was purified and characterized from the solid cultures of Aspergillus flavipes using chicken feather as substrate under solid state fermentation. The enzyme was purified by about 2.67 fold compared to the crude enzyme preparation. 40-60% ammonium sulphate saturation was used followed by anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The molecular weight of the enzyme under denaturing...

Author(s):   Yassin M. El-Ayouty, Amira EL-said and Ahmed M. Salama  

January 2012

Physicochemical and textural properties of kombucha fermented dairy products

  The possibility of kombucha application cultivated on two different tea types in combination with probiotics for milk fermentation at different temperatures, as well as the physicochemical and textural properties of manufactured fermented milk products were investigated. Combination of probiotic starter culture and kombucha inoculums, cultivated on Camellia...

Author(s):   Milanović Spasenija, Kanurić Katarina, Vukić Vladimir, Hrnjez Dajana, Iličić Mirela, Ranogajec Marjan and Milanović Maja  

January 2012

Isolation and genomic characterization of Escherichia coli O157:NM and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in minced meat and some traditional dairy products in Iran

  Human diseases caused by Escherichia coli O157:NM and E. coli O157:H7 strains have been reported throughout the world. In developed countries, serotype O157:H7 represents the major cause of human diseases; however, there have been increasing reports of non-O157 Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli strains associated with gastrointestinal infections. The present study was conducted...

Author(s):   E. Rahimi, H. Momtaz, M. Mohammad Hosseini Anari, M. Alimoradi, M. Momeni and M. Riahi  

January 2012

Seasonal growth of the attachment clamps of a Paradiplozoon sp. as depicted by statistical shape analysis

  Geometric morphometric methods using computer software is a more statistically powerful method of assessing changes in the anatomy than are traditional measurements of lengths. The aim of the study was to investigate whether changes in the size and shape Paradiplozoon sp. permanent attachment clamps could be used to determine the duration of the organsism’s life-cycle in situ. A total of...

Author(s):   Milne, S. J.,ѱ and Avenant-Oldewage, A.

January 2012

Preliminary screening of some fractions of Loxostylis alata (Anacardiaceae) for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities

  An acetone extract of Loxostylis alata was separated into six fractions based on polarity by a solvent-solvent fractionation procedure and the different fractions were screened for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The number of antimicrobial compounds in the carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), chloroform (CC), aqueous methanol (AM) and butanol (BT) fractions were determined by bioautography. Each...

Author(s):   M. M. Suleiman, , V. Naidoo and J. N. Eloff  

January 2012

Waste production and valorization in an integrated aquaponic system with bester and lettuce

  The purpose of this study was to characterize the wastewater effluent emerging from sturgeon aquaculture and to evaluate its potential for hydroponic lettuce production. Bester sturgeon and Lactuca sativa were used to test both nitrogen excretion and uptake in an aquaponic system under two hydraulic regimes. In the end of the experiment, fish growth performance, lettuce yields and nutrient retention...

Author(s):   Lorena Dediu, Victor Cristea and Zhang Xiaoshuan  

January 2012

The adverse reaction of chitooligosaccharides in rats

  In this study, hair removal effect after subcutaneous injection of chitooligosaccharides in mice was investigated. Different methods of observation of hair removal, tissue slices and detection of hematological parameters, like aminacridone (AMAC) labeled and antagonism treat were employed in this research. It was shown that Chitooligosaccharides exhibited renal toxicity, which was similar to aminoglycoside...

Author(s):   Anjun Liu, Kezhuang Sun, Chuanling Si, Zhenyuan Zhu and Wei Zhang  

January 2012

Discrimination of the Palomena prasina L. (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) nymph stages and sex using some morphological parameters by the multiple regression analysis

  Discrimination of different nymphal stages and sex (male and female) of insects is important in the morphological, physiological and toxicological studies under laboratory and field conditions. The morphometric study of different parts of an insect’s body is needed to obtain an index to distinguish between different nymphal stages and sex. In the hazelnut production area of the Black Sea region, amongst...

Author(s):   Islam Saruhan

January 2012

Lentinan treatment of Plasmodium yoelii-infected mice induces apoptosis of regulatory T cells

  To determine the immunomodulatory effects of lentinan, particularly on immune-suppressing regulatory T cells (Treg), in a mouse model of malaria, BALB/c mice were infected with Plasmodium yoelii by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 1 × 106 red blood cells containing Py17XL, and the infected mice were randomized into either a control group for i.p. injection of PBS or an experiment...

Author(s):   Yi-Qiang Xie and Xian-bo Wu  

January 2012

Estimation of larval density of Liriomyza sativae Blanchard (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in cucumber greenhouses using fixed precision sequential sampling plans

  This study was conducted to develop sequential sampling plans to estimate larval density of Liriomyza sativae Blanchard (Diptera: Agromyzidae) at three precision levels in cucumber greenhouse. The within- greenhouse spatial patterns of larvae were aggregated. The slopes and intercepts of both Iwao’s patchiness regression and Taylor’s power law did not differ between years. A...

Author(s):   Peyman Namvar, Mohammed Hassan Safaralizadeh, Valiollah Baniameri, Ali Asghar Pourmirza and Javad Karimzadeh  

January 2012

Cloning, expression, purification and antigenic evaluation of hyaluronidase antigenic fragments recombinant protein of streptococcus pyogenes

  Streptococcus pyogenes produce an extracellular hyaluronidase which is associated with the spread of the organism during infection. Enzyme hyaluronidase is capable of degrading hyaluronic acid. The aim of the present study was to clone and express antigenic regions of the hylA of S.pyogenes in Escherichia coli. The antigenic regions of hylA gene was inserted in pGEX-4T-1...

Author(s):   Shabnam Sadoogh Abbasian, Hamid Abtahi, Mohammad Reza Zolfaghari,Safieh Soufian and Ehsanollah Ghaznavi- Rad

January 2012

Cloning and characterization of two novel purple pepper genes (CHS and F3H)

  The complete coding sequences (CDS) of “Yunnan Purple Pepper No.1” (Capsicum annuum L.) CHS and F3H genes were amplified using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction based on the conserved sequence information of someSolanaceae plants and known highly homologous pepper ESTs. The nucleotide sequences analysis of these two genes revealed that...

Author(s):   Ming-hua Deng, Jin-fen Wen, Jin-long Huo, Hai-shan Zhu, Xiong-ze Dai, Zhu-qing Zhang, Hui Zhou and Xue-xiao Zou

January 2012

Effects of exogenous oxytocin on cervical penetration of Iranian ewes

  The objective of this study was to determine the effect of exogenous oxytocin (OT) treatments on the cervix dilation of three breeds of Iranian ewes. Cervix dilation was measured by transcervical passage of scaled bovine catheter into the uterus of the ewes. Fifty four healthy Zandi ewes were equally assigned to six groups in the late breeding season. Thirty healthy Lori-bakhtiari breed ewes were equally...

Author(s):   Reza Masoudi, Hamid Kohram, Ahmad Zare Shahne, Seyed Danial Moein Ale Davoud and Abbas Akbari sharif    

January 2012

Myocardial glycogen is increased in sedentary rats fed milk whey protein digests when brought to exhaustion

  Sedentary and trained rats fed diets containing either whey protein isolate, whey protein hydrolyzate, or casein, were exhausted in the treadmill. At 24 h post-exhaustion, the myocardial glycogen stores were 80%, and glycogen synthase activity 10%, increased in the sedentary group consuming the hydrolyzate. Whey protein hydrolyzate can be a decisive factor in the increase of myocardial glycogen stores only of...

Author(s):   Iara Carvalho Faria, Ana Cláudia Coelho Nery-Diez, Pablo Christiano Barboza Lollo, Jaime Amaya-Farfán, Clécio da Silva Ferreira