June 2009
Nanobodies - the new concept in antibody engineering
Nanobodies are antibody-derived therapeutic proteins that contain the unique structural and functional properties of naturally occurring heavy-chain antibodies. The Nanobody technology was originally developed following the discovery thatcamelidae (camels and llamas) possess fully functional antibodies that lack light chains. These heavy-chain antibodies contain a single variable domain (VHH) and two...
June 2009
Petroleum biotechnology: Technology trends for the future
This paper comes out from the need to provide a general overview of the current biotechnology situation and its future impact on the petroleum industry. This important industrial sector already encounters challenges as the decreasing oil reserves, the fluctuating oil prices, the increasing demand of petroleum, fuels and petrochemicals and finally more strict environmental regulations. These challenges will persist and...
June 2009
Molecular responses and expression analysis of genes in a xerophytic desert shrub Haloxylon ammodendron (Chenopodiaceae) to environmental stresses
Haloxylon ammodendron (C.A Mey.) Bunge is a xero-halophytic desert shrub with excellent drought resistance and salt tolerance. To decipher the molecular responses involved in its drought resistance, the cDNA-AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) technique was employed to identify genes expressed differentially in the leaves following drought treatment in the seedlings of H. ammodendron. Eighty-six non-redundant...
June 2009
Genetic diversity in rhizobial isolates determined by RAPDs
Nine soil rhizobia isolated from different field locations were subjected to RAPD analysis to study the diversity. It was found that Rhizobium isolates from Agricultural Research Station - Aliyar Nagar (ALN 7), Department of Agricultural Microbiology (SOB 1), isolates from TNAU Eastern block field No. 36 (EB 36) and Millet Breeding station field: 9 (MBS 19) were clustered together to form cluster 1 followed...
June 2009
Transgenic plants expressing the coat protein gene of cowpea aphid-borne mosaic potyvirus predominantly convey the delayed symptom development phenotype
Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) is a potyvirus that infects cowpea causing significant yield reduction. However, there is no durable natural resistance to the virus within the crop and genetic engineering for virus resistance was not possible because of a lack of an efficient, reliable and reproducible cowpea transformation and regeneration protocol. Coat protein-mediated resistance to CABMV was...
June 2009
An effective and low-cost method for DNA extraction from herbal drugs of Rheum tanguticum (polygonaceae)
Rhubarb is an important traditional Chinese herbal drug with high secondary metabolites that interfere with DNA extraction procedures and downstream applications, such as DNA restriction and amplification. An effective and low-cost protocol for isolating genomic DNA from root of Rheum tanguticum is described in this paper. It involved a modified CTAB method with distilled water pretreating samples....
June 2009
Molecular characterization of 26S proteasome regulatory subunit in dermatophyte pathogen Trichophyton verrucosum
Trichophyton verrucosum is a zoophilic dermatophyte, which causes dermatophytosis infection in human as well as animals. 26S proteasome is an important protein in eukaryotic cells that is involved with degradation of unneeded or damaged proteins, when tagged with ubiquitin. In this study, we characterized the 26S Proteasome regulatory subunit gene in dermatophyte pathogen T. verrucosum....
June 2009
Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals a low nucleotide diversity of Caligula japonica in China
Caligula japonica (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), an endemic species in Eastern Asia, is not only an economically important pest to be controlled, but also a producer of expensive silk. We have demonstrated previously the presence of a higher genetic diversity and a certain degree of genetic differentiation related to geographical distribution in C. japonica based on RAPD and ISSR markers. In this...
June 2009
Genetic variation of calsarcin-1 gene and association with carcass traits in 3 Chinese indigenous cattle
This study aimed to investigate polymorphisms of Calsarcin-1 gene and evaluate its effect on carcass traits in 429 samples of 3 Chinese indigenous cattle breeds, namely, Luxi (LX), Nanyang (NY) and Jiaxianred (JXR) breeds, PCR products with a 320 bp fragment of the Calsarcin-1 gene spanning over a part of intron 2, complete exon 3 and a part of intron 4 were amplified and sequenced. A synonymous...
June 2009
Mapping of quantitative trait loci controlling Orobanche foetida Poir. resistance in faba bean (Vicia faba L.)
Although in the Mediterranean region the most important Orobanche weed attacking leguminous crop is Orobanche crenata, recently Orobanche foetida has been found attacking faba bean, vetch and chickpea in Tunisia and vetch in Morocco. In this study we have identified and map the quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling resistance to O. foetida in faba bean (Vicia faba) and studied...
April 2009
Proximate and nutrient analysis of selected vegetable species: A case study of Karak region, Pakistan
Karak, an arid region, have limited water and land resources to cultivate various crops specially vegetables. However, a few seasonal vegetable are available to the local communities in meager quantities. The ash, carbohydrate, protein, moisture, fat, fiber contents, energy values and nutrient composition of eight vegetables’Abelmoschus esculentus, Spinacia oleraceae, Praecitrullus fistulosus, Luffa...
June 2009
SSR markers reveal diversity in Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis/D. rotundata) core set
The genetic diversity of 219 accessions of Guinea yam germplasm from Benin, Congo, Côte d’ Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo was accessed using 15 microsatellite loci. High diversity of 0.677 was found among the accessions. An allelic average of 8.06 and polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 0.65 was observed for the markers. The observed...
June 2009
Effects of plant growth regulators on callus induction from Cananga odorata flower petal explant
The Cananga odorata callus was initiated from petals of the C. odorata flowers on MS medium and B5 vitamins containing 30 g/L sugar and 3 g/L agar. The medium was also supplemented with different concentrations of 1-naphtalene acetic acid (NAA), and combinations of NAA with 6-benzylaminpurine (BAP) as the plant growth regulators. It was observed that the C. odorata callus could...
June 2009
Some physico-chemical properties and mineral contents of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) type grown in Konya
In this research, several physico-chemical properties and mineral contents of one earliest (May 19) sweet cherry type grown in Konya region were determined. The results in terms of chemical properties were total soluble solids, 18.33 mg/100 g;pH, 3.86; color, S41P50E41; texture, 0.25 kg/cm2; and juice yield, 66.28%. The evaluation of the total weighted rankit...
June 2009
Development of an in vitro culture system adapted to banana mycorrhization
The beneficial impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on banana nutrition and resistance against abiotic and biotic stresses is well documented. However, most studies were conducted under greenhouse or field conditions and none reported the life cycle of the AM fungi on banana roots. It is obvious that any system associating both organisms under strict controlled in vitro culture conditions may...
June 2009
Evaluation of physicochemical properties and distribution of Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni in soils and growing plants around refuse dumpsites in Akure, Nigeria
The physicochemical properties and distribution of Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni in soils and growing plants around refuse dumpsites in Akure, Southwestern Nigeria were evaluated to ascertain the impact of the wastes on these soil quality indices and edible plants. The soils close to the dumpsites were more acidic (pH, 5.50) compared with the soils away (25.0 m) from the sites. Also there were corresponding increases in...
June 2009
Semi-continuous anaerobic treatment of fresh leachate from municipal solid waste transfer station
A semi-continuous leachate treatment process was developed in the present study. The fresh leachate was obtained from a municipal solid waste transfer station and palm oil mill effluent (POME) sludge was used as sources of anaerobic microbial complex. The semi-continuous treatment of leachate was operated in two phases; in Phase 1, the pH of the bioreactor was not adjusted, and in Phase 2, the pH of the...
June 2009
Biodegradation of biodiesel/diesel blends by Candida viswanathii
This work is aimed to assess the aerobic biodegradation of biodiesel/diesel blends (0, 2, 5, 20 and 100%, v/v) by Candida viswanathii. The biodegradation potential of the inoculum was assessed with the redox indicator 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP) test and with respirometric experiment in biometer flasks (250 mL) used to measure the microbial CO2 production. In the latter, the inoculum was...
June 2009
Focus on agricultural biotechnology: Prospective for bio-watersaving theories and their applications in the semi-arid and arid areas
Drought and water shortage have become a world-wide problem in recent years with the effect of global warming. Water-saving agriculture has become an inevitable direction of agronomical research, it has been developed from practices through agronomic water saving to engineering water saving and to the approaches in biological water-saving. The essence of biological water-saving should be the high-efficient use of water...
April 2009
Potential use of gas sensors in beef manure nutrient content estimations
The purpose of this study was to develop a gas sensor array to estimate the manure nutrient contents. Three metal-oxide gas sensors including methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide were used. Forty manure samples were collected from four beef operations in Southwest North Dakota. Manure samples were sent to be analyzed for moisture content, total-nitrogen (Total-N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and ammonium-nitrogen...
June 2009
Perforate on CHO cell membranes induced by electromagnetic pulses irradiation observed by atomic force microscopy
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to visualize the morphological change on the surface of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell membranes before and after electromagnetic pulses (EMP) irradiation. The results show that there were different sizes and shapes of membrane perforate (width ranging from 0.39 - 0.66 μm; depth of 392.95 nm) after 200 pulses of EMP irradiation at 400 kV/m. The results suggested that EMP...
May 2009
Assessment of heavy metal accumulation and their translocation in plant species
Industrial processes are causing continuous discharges of effluents into open drains which enter into the soil that is being contaminated from variety of pollutants including heavy metals. The natural vegetation along the drains is under metal contamination stress. In this research work natural...
June 2009
Polychlorinated biphenyl in fish samples from Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria
Several fish samples from the Lagos lagoon, Nigeria were analyzed for the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The fish species analyzed includeTilapia zilli (red belly Tilapia), Ethmalosa fimbriata (Bonga shad) and Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (catfish). Eight PCB congeners were identified and quantified in muscle of the species analyzed. The concentration of total PCBs in...
June 2009
Effect of cassava effluent on Okada natural water
The study investigated the effect of cassava effluent on Okada natural water. It was observed that the colour, taste and odour of the water changed after cassava effluent had been discharched into it. This was an indication of pollution. The physico-chemical analysis showed that the characteristics of water analysed varied and higher than federal environmental protection agency of Nigeria (FEPA). The BOD was in the...
June 2009
Determination of total phenolic amount of some edible fruits and vegetables
Total phenolic content of some fruits and vegetables namely; garden egg (Allium sativvum L.), ducanut (Irvingia wombolu), lemon (Citrus limonia), garden egg (Solanum melongena), grape (Citrus paradise) and carrot (Daucus carota L.) purchased from an open market in Benin City, Nigeria were determined. The results obtained showed that ducanut had the highest amount of total phenolics (98.77...
June 2009
Screening of malting sorghum samples for lactic acid bacteria with potentials for antimicrobial activity
Three varieties of sorghum grains (SK 5912, KSV 400 and KSV 8) undergoing malting process were screened for lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antimicrobial activity and characterized using standard methods. Out of fifty-seven lactic acid bacteria isolates, eighteen isolates with antimicrobial producing potential were selected for further study. The isolates displayed significant (p < 0.05) inhibitory...
June 2009
Purification and characterization of the chitosanase from Aeromonas sp. HG08
In this work, the characterization of a chitosanase-producing bacterium isolated from soil was reported and this strain was grouped under the genus Aeromonas by virtue of its morphological, physiological properties and 16S rDNA gene sequences. It is the first report that the genus Aeromonas could produce chitosanase.Aeromonas sp. HG08 could secrete the chitosanase (named AsChi) with...
June 2009
Antifungal activity of extracts and phenolic compounds from Barringtonia racemosa L. (Lecythidaceae)
The antifungal activity of methanolic, ethanolic and boiling water extracts ofBarringtonia racemosa leaves, sticks and barks were investigate against Fusariumsp., Tricoderma koningii, Penicillium sp., Ganoderma tropicum, Ganoderma lucidum, Aspergillus sp. and Rhizopus sp. at concentration of 50 mg/ml. Better antifungal activity was observed with the methanolic...
June 2009
Effect of sodium benzoate on the growth and enzyme activity of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium citrinum in Zobo drink during storage at 30 ± 2°C
The effect of different concentrations of sodium benzoate on the growth and enzyme elaboration potentials of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium citrinum in zobo drink packaged in glass bottles were investigated. All the tested concentrations of 0.025, 0.05 and 0.075% (w/v) caused decreases in the counts of A. niger and P. citrinum at 30 ± 2°C. Concentration of 0.05%...
June 2009
Effects of different packaging materials on microbiological, physio-chemical and organoleptic quality of zobo drink storage at room temperature
The effects of different packaging materials on microbiological, physiochemical and organoleptic quality of zobo drink prepared from Hibiscus sabdariffa were investigated. Freshly prepared zobo drink at 45°C was aseptically dispensed into glass bottles, plastic bottles and polythene sachets and stored at 29 ± 2°C for 6 months. Microbiological and physico-chemical (carbohydrate, protein, pH,...
June 2009
Effect of food binders on the textual and sensory characteristics of ice cream
Ice cream was produced using local food binders namely: Afzelia africana,Deuterium microcapum and Taro tuber to find a suitable replacer for carboxylmethyl-celleuose (CMC). Results showed that, though viscosity, efflux time and foam stability increased with increase in A. africana, D. microcapum and T. tuber local food binder concentrations, they were significantly (p <...
March 2009
Ethanol production from Sorghum bicolor using both separate and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation in batch and fed batch systems
The objective of this work was to find the best combination of different experimental conditions during pre-treatment, enzymatic saccharification, detoxification of inhibitors and fermentation of Sorghum bicolor straw for ethanol production. The optimization of pre-treatment using different concentrations of dilute sulfuric acid, various temperatures and residence times was achieved at 121°C, 1%...
June 2009
Antimicrobial activity of Piper arboreum and Piper tuberculatum (Piperaceae) against opportunistic yeasts
In the scope of our ongoing research on bioactive agents from natural sources, 24 extracts and fractions obtained from Piper arboreum Aub. and Piper tuberculatumJacq. (Piperaceae) were screened for antifungal activity by using broth microdilution method. The current investigation reveals that P. arboreum extracts and fractions were more effective against Candida krusei and Candida...
June 2009
Cloning and shake flask expression of hrIDS-Like in Pichia pastoris
The human Iduronate-2-sulfate sulfatase (hIDS-Like) was cloned into the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris under the control of alcohol oxidase promoter (AOX1) and the α-mating factor signal peptide (a-factor). Six clones were identified by PCR. Using clone IDS28, the enzyme was secreted into the culture medium, yielding a protein with an activity of 4.213 nmol.h-1.mg of total...
June 2009
Hypoglycaemia and improved testicular parameters in Sesamum radiatum treated normo-glycaemic adult male Sprague Dawley rats
The development of a new dietary adjunct with a novel natural antioxidant impact on diabetes mellitus with prevention of its long term deleterious effect on the male fertility in general has been increasingly expressed in recent time. Hence, we aim to evaluate the effects of aqueous extract of Sesame radiatum leaves on adult male Sprague Dawley rats’ testis using unbiased stereological, biochemical and...
June 2009
Several methods to detect the inheritance and resistance to the Diamondback Moth in transgenic Chinese cabbage
A positive selection system was developed for Agrobacterium-mediated trasnsformation of using hypocotyl segments of aseptic seedlings of chinese cabbage as explants, regenerated plants with kanamycin resistance were obtained. The transformed plants with CryIA(c) (Bt) gene were confirmed by Southern blotting analysis, indicating the integration of the transgene into the cabbage genome. Majority of the transgenic...
June 2009
Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) species determined on herbaceous and shrub plants in Bartin Province in Western Blacksea Region of Turkey
This study aimed to find out the Aphidoidea species feeding on herbaceous and shrub plants of Bartın province. As a result, total of 28 aphid species belonging to 14 genus and 4 tribes of the super family Aphidoidea were determined. Of these determined species, Aphis fabae Scopoli, Aphis farinosa J. F. Gmelin, Aphis gossypii Glover, Aphis nerii Boyer de...
June 2009
Study on the relationship between eggshell colors and egg quality as well as shell ultrastructure in Yangzhou chicken
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the relation between eggshell colors and egg quality as well as shell ultrastructure in Yangzhou chicken. A total of 120 eggs on the day of lay of New Yangzhou chickens were selected. The eggshell color, shape index, shell strength, shell thickness, egg weight, albumen weight, yolk weight, shell weight, yolk color, calcium content of shell, albumen and yolk were...
June 2009
Effects of environmental factors on growth traits in Ghezel sheep
The present study was carried out to study the effects of environmental factors on growth traits in Ghezel sheep breed. Growth related data (birth weight, weaning weight, month 6 weight, average daily gain from birth to weaning and weaning to month 6) were collected from lambs that have been born during 1994 - 2006 at Ghezel sheep breeding station in west Azerbaijan and data was analyzed using SAS software....
June 2009
Effect of stocking density on the growth and haemolymph biochemical value of Archachatina marginata
The growth performance and haemolymph properties of the African giant land snailArchachatina marginata fed ad libitun with pawpaw leaves and reared under different stocking densities were investigated in an eight week experiment. Four different stocking densities of 5, 10, 15 and 20 snails per cage (0.5 m x 0.5 m x 0.2 m) were used with each group replicated. The cage with 15 snails...
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