African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12481

Table of Content: 28 November 2011; 10(75)

November 2011

Detection of herbicide-resistant maize by using loop-mediated isothermal amplification of the pat selectable marker gene

  Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel nucleic acid amplification method that reagents react to under isothermal conditions with high specificity, efficiency and rapidity. We used LAMP for detection of herbicide-resistant maize, which is a widespread genetically modified crop. Pat gene, a widely used selectable marker, was amplified by a set of four special primers that recognized six...

Author(s):   Jinsong Chen, , Conglin Huang, Xiuhai Zhang, Rong Yu and Zhongyi Wu  

November 2011

Identification and expression analysis of a pathogen-responsive PR-1 gene from Chinese wild Vitis quinquangularis

  In response to pathogen attacks, plant produces a wide range of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. PR-1 genes represent the first identified PR gene family. Most members of PR-1 gene family are not inducible by pathogen attacks. In this study, we identified a pathogen-responsive PR-1 gene designated as VqPR-1 (GenBank accession no. JN256202), in a subtractive suppression hybridization...

Author(s): Qian Wang,#, Yucheng Zhang,#, Min Gao, Chen Jiao, and Xiping Wang,

November 2011

NADP+- dependent isocritrate dehydrogenase from human kidney mitochondria

NADP-IDH was purified from the mitochondria of human kidney to homogeneity to about 1953-fold and a yield of 19.0%. The enzyme is a dimer with a molecular mass of about 220 to 240 kDa and dependent on Mn+2 or Mg+2 but other divalent cations do activate it at various degrees. Antibodies that were raised in the rabbit against the enzyme completely inhibited the activity of the enzyme, even when the enzyme could be...

Author(s): Musa Hasan Abu Zarga and Mukaram Shikara

November 2011

Genetic diversity in green gram accessions as revealed by STMS markers

  Molecular characterization of green gram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) germplasm is essential for scientific assessment of variability and diversity for its better utilization in breeding programs. In this study, 120 accessions of green gram were analysed for 27 Sequence Tagged Microsatellites (STMS) loci. For data analysis, accessions were grouped into Indian and exotic. DNA profiling of the 120...

Author(s): Avinash Pandey, Amit Kumar and Ramya P

November 2011

Production and verification of heterozygous clones in Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus by microsatellite marker

  Mitotic gynogenetic diploids Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus were produced by activating eggs with ultra violet (UV) irradiated sperm of red sea bream (Pagrus major), followed by hydrostatic pressure treatment to block the first mitotic division. By crossing two mitotic gynogenetic diploid females with two males, two heterozygous clones of Japanese flounder were produced. Microsatellite...

Author(s): Yongxin Liu, Guixing Wang, Yi Liu, Jilun Hou, Yufen Wang, Fei Si, Zhaohui Sun, Xiaoyan Zhang and Haijin Liu

November 2011

Induction, characterization and genetic analysis of Aspergillus flavus resistant mutants in Arachis hypogaea

  The Aspergillus flavus infection of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) results in the accumulation of aflatoxins in seeds, which are very harmful to humans and animals. Mutation breeding programs are an effective way of inducing resistant mutants. In this study, we induced a genetic variation by using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and gamma rays treatment for four peanut cultivars (32 mutants from Giza 6, 22...

Author(s): Ahmed Nagib Sharaf, Ahmed Gaber, Abdelhadi Abdallah Abdelhadi Abdelshafy Ibrahim Ragab and Walid Ahmed Korani

November 2011

Genetic relationships of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon) from different countries revealed by sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) analysis

  Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] germplasm is genetically diverse and widely distributed between 45°N and 45°S latitudes in the world. This study was conducted to assess genetic variation and relatedness of 33 Chinese accessions of common bermudagrass (C. dactylon var. dactylon) and 22 cultivars developed in China, Australia and the USA by sequence-related amplified...

Author(s):   Zhiyong Wang,, Li Liao, Xuejun Yuan, Aigui Guo and Jianxiu Liu  

November 2011

Induction of microspore-derived embryos by anther culture in selected pepper genotypes

  Five pepper genotypes (A71, A269, A313, A109 and A74) and four different culture media were tested in this study carried out at the University of Çukurova, Turkey. The anthers were cultured at different periods in order to optimize the frequency of embryo production. Moreover, the embryos that were unable to complete their growth in the culture medium studied were placed in a medium containing 0.5...

Author(s): Hatıra TaÅŸkin, Saadet Büyükalaca, Davut KeleÅŸ and Ercan Ekbiç

November 2011

The effect of in-vitro environmental conditions on some sugarcane varieties for micropropagation

  The present paper deals with the effect of light intensity, photoperiod and growth room temperature on in-vitro morphogenetic responses of leaf sheath explants of sugarcane varieties, CoS 96258 and CoS 99259. High frequency callus initiation was recorded in leaf sheath explants incubated in dark for 10 to 15 days and then, transferred in light. Maximum shoot regeneration and number of shoots per...

Author(s): Kalpana Sengar, R. S. Sengar and Sanjay Kumar Garg

November 2011

Effect of seed priming on growth and biochemical traits of wheat under saline conditions

  Effects of seed priming with 30 mM NaCl was determined on various growth and biochemical characters of 6 wheat varieties (Tatara-96, Ghaznavi-98, Fakhri Sarhad, Bakhtawar-92, Pirsabaq-2004 and Auqab-2000) under 4 salinity levels (0, 40, 80 and 120 mM). Statistical analysis of the data revealed that varieties, salinity and seed priming had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected germination (%), days to...

Author(s): Yousaf Jamal, Muhammad Shafi and Jehan Bakht

November 2011

Factors affecting soil erosion in Beijing mountain forestlands

  The role of regions, vegetation types and forest stand density in controlling soil erosion were investigated in Beijing mountain forest, China. The main objective was to develop some models to estimate soil erosion under different forest conditions including regions, vegetation type, and stand density as influenced by artificial experiment. Multilevel regression model was used for developing these...

Author(s): Zhenming Zhang, Siming Song, Hailong Wu, Xinxiao Yu and Qian Zhang 

November 2011

Effects of prohexadione-calcium with three rates of phosphorus and chlormequat chloride on vegetative and generative growth of tomato

  The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of prohexadione-calcium [(Regalis®)(100 mg L-1)] and chlormequat chloride (2000 mg L-1) on vegetative and generative growth of tomato plant. An underlying aim was to evaluate the growth of plants treated with pro-Ca with three phosphorus rates (40, 80 and 120 mg L-1). Pro-Ca was applied to plants either as a spray or medium drench, while chlormequat...

Author(s): Sureyya Altintas

November 2011

Relationships between nitrate, chlorophyll and chromaticity values inrocket salad and parsley

  The relationships between nitrate concentration, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and b concentrations, chromaticity values L*, a*, b*, hue and chroma in parsley (Petroselinum crispum Mill.) and rocket salad (Eruca sativa Mill.) were investigated. Every month, during 2004 and 2005, three samples for each leafy vegetable were obtained from the market, and after the measurement of colour with a...

Author(s): Özlem Tuncay

November 2011

Effects of chlormequat chloride and different rates of prohexadione-calcium on seedling growth, flowering, fruit development and yield of tomato

  The aim of the study was to determine the effects of chlormequat chloride and different rates of prohexadione-calcium on seedling growth, flowering and fruit development and yield characteristics of tomato under conventionally poor growing conditions in an unheated greenhouse in Tekirdag, Turkey (40°59' N, 27°29' E). The effects of medium drench and spray applications...

Author(s): Sureyya Altintas

November 2011

Interaction of micro and macro elements with manure on barley feed yield and soil nutrient content in Sistan region

  n order to study the effect of interaction of ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ elements on soil chemical properties,  grain yield and feed yield in barley, an experiment was conducted as split plot design on randomized  complete block design with three replications in the research field of Zabol University 2009. The  different proportions of manure and chemical fertilizer...

Author(s):   Mahdi, Babaeian, Yasser, Esmaeilian, Abolfazl, Tavassoli and Mehdi, Javaheri 

November 2011

Mineral, vitamin C and crude protein contents in kale (Brassica oleraceae var. acephala) at different harvesting stages

  This study compares mineral, vitamin C and crude protein contents at different harvesting stages in  kale (Brassica oleraceae var. acephala). Three different harvest periods as first harvest stage (at the  rosette stage), second harvest stage (at the budding stage) and third harvest stage (at the  flowering/blooming stage) were utilized in the study. The results of the study...

Author(s): Funda Eryilmaz  Acikgoz 

November 2011

Low molecular weight organic acids in root exudates and cadmium accumulation in cadmium hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. and non-hyperaccumulator Solanum lycopersicum L.

  Changes in the roots exudation of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA), cadmium (Cd) accumulation and translocation and soil solution pH in Solanum nigrum L., the Cd-hyperaccumulator were examined and compared with a non-hyperaccumulator Solanum lycopersicum L. The differences were significant (P < 0.05 or < 0.01) between S. nigrum and S....

Author(s): Tong Bao, Tieheng Sun and Lina Sun

November 2011

Decolorization of the azo dye reactive black 5 using laccase mediator system

  Laccase mediator system (LMS) has been widely used in various fields. In this study, we tested the capacity of LMS in the decolorization of a recalcitrant azo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB5). Both acetosyringone and syringaldehyde demonstrated high mediating ability for RB5 decolorization and acetosyringone was proved to be the most efficient mediator. The decolorization process was not significantly affected at...

Author(s):   Tian-Nv Wang, Lei Lu, Guo-Fu Li, Jun Li, Teng-Fei Xu, Min Zhao

November 2011

Phyto-accumulation of heavy metals by sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) grown on contaminated soil

  This study was carried out at the Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, KPK Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan to investigate the phyto-accumulation capacity of heavy metals [lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd)] by two cultivars of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The experiment was conducted in pots using completely randomized (CR) design with three replications. Three...

Author(s): Rafi Ullah, Jehan Bakht, Mohammad Shafi, Madiha Iqbal, Ayub Khan and Muhammad Saeed

November 2011

Mineral composition of dominant plant species growing in a phosphorus mining area

  To evaluate the potential of native plants for phytoremediation, a field survey of terrestrial plants growing in a phosphorus (P) mining area in Shifang, China, was conducted to identify the variation of mineral composition in the soil and plants. The mineral composition [nitrogen (N), P, potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)] of roots and shoots and...

Author(s): Zheng Zi-Cheng, Li Ting-Xuan, Xiao Guang-Li, Zhang Xi-Zhou, Yu Hai-Ying And Wang Yong-Dong

November 2011

Assessing the effectiveness of protected area management in the Turkish Caucasus

  Despite expected benefits such as conservation, recreation or sustainable development, most protected areas (PAs) have serious problems in implementingbasic management functions such as planning, organizing, coordination or control. In order to maximize management effectiveness, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has developed the...

Author(s): OÄŸuz KurdoÄŸlu and BaÅŸak AvcioÄŸlu ÇokçaliÅŸkan

November 2011

Hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological investigations of thermal waters in the Alasehir-Kavaklidere area (Manisa-Turkey)

  Alasehir graben is located in the southern edge of the Gediz graben, which is an important graben for geothermal activity. Thermal waters are hosted by Menderes massif metamorphic rocks, which are made of gneisses, schists and marbles. Impermeable clayey units of the neogene sediments are cap rocks of the geothermal system. Presence of geothermal waters is closely related to normal fault systems and graben...

Author(s): Ali Bülbül, TuÄŸbanur Özen And Gültekin Tarcan

November 2011

Optimization of ultrasonic extraction of mycelial polysaccharides from Paecilomyces hepiali using response surface methodology and its antioxidant activity

  Ultrasonic technology was applied to extract mycelial polysaccharides fromPaecilomyces hepiali and the process was optimized by response surface methodology. Antioxidant activity of polysaccharides was also investigated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (%DPPHsc). Three independent variables were ratio of water to raw material (x1), ultrasonic power (x2) and...

Author(s): Shi-jun Yu, Ying Zhang, Chun-ru Li, Qian Zhang, Zhong-you Ma, and Mei-zhen Fan

November 2011

Occurrence, isolation and DNA identification of Streptococcus thermophilus involved in Algerian traditional butter ‘Smen’

  Streptococcus thermophilus isolates from traditional butter ‘Smen’, a fermented product from cow’s and ewe’s milk in arid area was subjected to taxonomical investigations. The identification procedure included phenotypic approaches, molecular characterization by using genus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications for sodA gene encoding the manganese-dependant...

Author(s):   Farid Bensalah, Asmaa Labtar, Christine Delorme and Pierre Renault  

November 2011

Further physicochemical characterization of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth fruit pulp as a mineral supplement

  Fresh Parkia biglobosa fruit pulp was evaluated in terms of its water absorption, foam and emulsion capacities, gelatinization temperature, moisture content, microbial count, swelling and solubility profiles. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were carried out for morphological and thermal analysis. The release of its vitamin C in water at...

Author(s): Omojola, Moses O., Afolayan, Michael O., Adebiyi, Adedayo B., Orijajogun, Joyce O., Thomas, Sunday A. and Ihegwuagu, Nnemeka E.

November 2011

Development and optimization of sweet cream butter from buffaloes at cottage scale

  The research was intended to optimize and scientifically evaluate the traditional/ household butter making methods for getting good quality and yield of butter by standardizing cream fat levels and altering churning temperatures during butter making. In the present study, cream fat levels were standardized at 30, 35 and 40% and they were churned at different temperatures (8, 10 and 12°C) for making butter...

Author(s): Farzana Siddique, Kiran Sultan Khan, Asif Ahmad, Anwaar Ahmed, Muhammad Gulfraz and Feroza Hamid Wattoo

November 2011

Nutritional composition and antioxidant activities of Curculigo pilosa (Hypoxidaceae) rhizome

  Curculigo pilosa (CP) rhizome traditionally used in the manufacture of infant food and sorghum beer in West Africa was assessed for its nutritional composition, mineral content as well as antioxidant activities. Results from the proximate analysis showed that the rhizome contains crude fibre (34.76%), carbohydrate (34.09%) and moderate energy value (188.77 Kcal/100 g). Crude protein, crude fat,...

Author(s):   Margaret Oluwatoyin Sofidiya, Busola Oduwole, Elizabeth Bamgbade, Olukemi Odukoya and Sunday Adenekan

November 2011

Biocatalytic synthesis and antioxidant capacities of ascorbyl esters by Novozym 435 in tert-butanol system using different acyl donors

  Novozym 435 was used to catalyze the synthesis of fatty acid (FA) ascorbyl esters intert-butanol using methyl palmitate, oleic and linoleic acids, and soybean oil as acyl donors. Response surface methodology (RSM) and three-level-four-factor central composite rotatable design (CCRD) were employed to optimize the synthesis parameters of ascorbyl palmitate, such as Novozym 435 dosage, reaction temperature,...

Author(s): Yun Liu, Junkai Wang, Yunjun Yan and Jiangchuan Li 

November 2011

Improvement of specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the identification of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae

  A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the identification of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) was optimized using the H2 gene sequences of M1601. The test was evaluated on 20 strains including six representative strains of the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster as well as 13 field isolates from China, Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia...

Author(s): He Ying, Zhang Nian-zhang, Zhao Ping, Chu Yue-feng, Gao Peng-cheng, Zhang Jian-jun and Lu Zhong-xin

November 2011

The antioxidant properties, cytotoxicity and monoamine oxidase inhibition abilities of the crude dichloromethane extract of Tarchonanthus camphoratus L. leaves

  Tarchonanthus camphoratus (camphor bush) has been widely used for numerous medicinal purposes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant properties, cytotoxicity and monoamine oxidase inhibition activities of the crude dichloromethane leaf extract of T. camphoratus. The antioxidant activities were assessed using the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay and...

Author(s): Olayinka A. Aiyegoro and Sandra van Dyk

November 2011

Effect of high dose thiamine therapy on activity and molecular aspects of transketolase in Type 2 diabetic patients

  Commonest form of diabetes mellitus is Type 2, treated with oral hypoglycemic agents, which often carry potential adverse effects and do not address the intracellular metabolism of glucose. Thiamine is an essential co-factor for vital subcellular enzymes and has potential to benefit Type 2 diabetics.  This study was therefore designed to investigate the effect of high dose thiamine therapy on the...

Author(s):   Saadia Shahzad Alam, Samreen Riaz and M. Waheed Akhtar  

November 2011

Protective effects of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), green tea (Camellia sinensis) and commercial supplements on testicular tissue of oxidative stress-induced rats

  This study compares the modulation of oxidative stress by an indigenous herbal tea, rooibos, Chinese green tea and commercial rooibos and green tea supplements in rat testicular tissue. Male Wistar rats (n = 60) were fed with either fermented rooibos, “green” rooibos, Chinese green tea, commercial rooibos or green tea supplements for ten weeks. Oxidative stress (OS) was induced in all animals by...

Author(s): D. O. Awoniyi, Y. G. Aboua, J. L. Marnewick, S. S. du Plesis and N. L. Brooks

November 2011

Targeting the human lysozyme gene on bovine αs1-casein gene locus in fibroblasts

  Targeting an exogenous gene into a favorable gene locus and for expression under endogenous regulators is an ideal method in mammary gland bioreactor research. For this purpose, a gene targeting vector was constructed to targeting the human lysozyme gene on bovine αs1-casein gene locus. In this case, the expression of human lysozyme could be regulated by the endogenous cis-element of...

Author(s): Gong Cheng, Fangrong Ding, Yunping Dai, and Ning Li

November 2011

Establishment of plant regeneration system from anther culture of Tagetes patula

  Plant regeneration of Tagetes patula was achieved from anther explants via adventitious shoot differentiation from callus. The effects of genotype, temperature pretreatment, plant growth regulators, light regimes and sucrose concentration were studied. Eight of ten genotypes tested were successfully regenerated. The highest callus induction rate and regeneration frequency of line 21605 was obtained...

Author(s): Yingchun Qi, Yaomei Ye and Manzhu Bao

November 2011

Estimation of segmental fat free mass in Taiwanese elderly females by bioelectrical impedance analysis with new mathematical model

  The aim of this study was to develop new predictive equations for evaluating the fat free mass (FFM) of body segments in Taiwan elderly female. Modified bioelectrical impedance analysis with eight electrodes (BIA8) and referenced standard dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was applied to measure the segment body composition. The criterion of FFM values determined by DXA and predictive values by BIA...

Author(s): Kuen-Chang Hsieh, Ming-Feng Kao, Tsong-Rong Jang, Wen-Lang Lin , Hsueh-Kuan Lu and Yu-Yawn Chen

November 2011

A study of patrilineal genetic diversity in Iranian indigenous horse breeds

  Autosomal markers and mtDNA have been used in horse phylogenetic studies. These studies display evolutionary events that happened in both sexes or only in females. It is necessary to investigate genetic diversity in Y-specific markers for clarifying contribution of males in horse domestication. The Y chromosome, excluding the pseudoautosomal region, is inherited as a single nonrecombinant unit and, therefore,...

Author(s): Farjad Rafeie, Cyrus Amirinia, Ardeshir Nejati Javaremi, Seyed Ziaeddin Mirhoseini and Nour Amirmozafari

November 2011

Molecular cloning, expression analysis and sequence prediction of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta gene of Qinchuan cattle

  CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPβ), as an essential transcriptional factor, regulates the differentiation of adipocytes and the deposition of fat. Herein, we cloned the whole open reading frame (ORF) of bovine C/EBPβ gene and analyzed itsputative protein structures via DNA cloning and sequence analysis. Then,...

Author(s): Wang Hong, Zan LinSen, Cheng Gong, Wang HongBao, and Fu ChangZhen

November 2011

Some morphometric relationships of hatchery reared male population of Oreochromis mossambicus from Pakistan

  In this study, length-weight (LWR), length-length relationships (LLR) and condition factor (K) of male Oreochromis mossambicus from Nursery Unit Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan were examined. The range of the total length (TL) was determined to be 13.20 to 18.10 cm. This study shows that b-value in the LWR (W = aLb) for male O.mossambicus had isometric growth with b = 2.93....

Author(s): Muhammad Naeem, Amina Zuberi,  Abdus Salam, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Riaz-ul-Haq, Muhammad Khalid, Mudasra Mehreen, Muhammad Farhan Nasir, Saeed Akhtar Rasool and Abir Ishtiaq

November 2011

Association analysis of CAPN1 gene variants with carcass and meat quality traits in Chinese native cattle

  The CAPN1 gene plays an important role in post mortem tenderization of meat and it is a main candidate gene for assessing the meat quality characteristics of beef. In this study, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) A3717G and A3854G of bovine CAPN1CAPN1gene were predicted and identified by bioinformatics and DNA sequencing methods. Furthermore, the association between...

Author(s): Mingyan Shi, Xue Gao, Hongyan Ren, , Zhengrong Yuan, Huiguang Wu, Jiao Li, Lupei Zhang, Huijiang Gao, Junya Li and Shangzhong Xu#

November 2011

Ameliorative effect of glucomannan-containing yeast product (Mycosorb) and sodium bentonite on performance and antibody titers against Newcastle disease in broilers during chronic aflatoxicosis

  The aim of this study was to determine the impact of aflatoxin (AF), yeast glucomannan (YG) and sodium bentonite (SB) on performance and immunization against Newcastle disease (ND) in broiler feed with naturally contaminated diet with aflatoxin. For this experiment, 300 7-day-old Ross 308-strain broiler chickens werechosen and randomly assigned to ten...

Author(s): Navid Mogadam and Aidin Azizpour

November 2011

Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), n-3 and n-6 fatty acids on performance and carcass traits of broiler chickens

  An experiment was conducted on broiler chickens to study the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), fish oil, soybean oil or their mixtures (at 7% for single and 3.5% + 3.5% for mixtures) as well as up 12% dosage of palm oil, on the performance and carcass traits of broiler chickens. The chicks fed 7% fish oil or 7% CLA diets were found to have the most inferior weight gain in grower and finisher phases,...

Author(s): Maryam Royan, Goh Yong Meng, Fauziah Othman, Awis Qurni Sazili and Bahman Navidshad