Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Biotechnology)http://hdl.handle.net/11394/302024-03-28T20:35:27Z2024-03-28T20:35:27ZThe molecular characterization of trichoplusia ni single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus: a study on early regulatory featuresWang, Weizhouhttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/103682023-07-13T00:02:20Z2003-01-01T00:00:00ZThe molecular characterization of trichoplusia ni single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus: a study on early regulatory features
Wang, Weizhou
With the development of biological insecticides, many research efforts have been made in baculoviruses to investigate fundamental molecular aspects of these viruses, such as the function and regulation of genes, genome organization, mode of entry, DNA replication and virus factors that determine the host range and virulence. Previously, a South African Trichoplusia ni single capsid nuclear polyhedrosis virus (TnSNPV) isolate was partially characterized as a novel baculovirus. During the process of the characterization, a few late genes of the virus were identified. This thesis describes a molecular characterization of the TnSNPV early genes to gain insight into the functional roles of these genes, their unique features and further determination of the placement of TnSNPV in baculovirus phylogeny.
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
2003-01-01T00:00:00ZGenome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of transcriptionsl desert regionsSchaefer, UIfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/100912023-06-10T00:02:15Z2009-01-01T00:00:00ZGenome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of transcriptionsl desert regions
Schaefer, UIf
The initiation of transcription in mammalian genomes predominatly occurs
at 5' promoter regions, however increasingly initiation events have been
observed within introns, coding exons and 3' UTRs. Nevertheless there are
large segments of mammalian genomes that are not prone to transcription
initiation. These locations can be understood to be 'transcription initiation
deserts'. It is challenging and useful to demarcate these segments or
locations of the genome. The availability of a huge number of transcript data
has provided an opportunity to develop a methodology to predict and
annotate these genomic segments.
A comprehensive collection of data for Homo sapiens ard Mus musculus,
consisting of CAGE tags and other evidence for the existence of
ffanscription was used to develop a methodology that allows the annotation
of locations of mammalian genomes as those that are highly likely to initiate
tanscription and those that are unlikely to harbour transcription start sites
(TSSs). The algorithm allows the recognition of TSSs with 100%
sensitivity, which makes it the superior choice over other existing
algorithms for promoter prediction for the task of annotating TSS deserts.
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
2009-01-01T00:00:00ZMitigation of salinity stress using exogenously applied molybdenum in sorghum bicolorMabiya, Thembeka Confidencehttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/100452023-05-26T00:02:15Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZMitigation of salinity stress using exogenously applied molybdenum in sorghum bicolor
Mabiya, Thembeka Confidence
The agricultural sector is the main producer of food throughout the world. However, the constant changes in environmental conditions, such as extreme weather, droughts, and salinity have impacted this sector negatively over the years. These stresses cause nutritional imbalance, delayed seed germination and decreased growth resulting in reductions in crop yield and hence affect food prices. The food and agricultural organization (FAO), reported that the average increase rate in crop production is below the amount required to cater for the growing population. Thus, to meet the food demands, discovery of several strategies to improve crop growth and yield under severe environmental conditions are imperative.
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZInter-individual genetic variation and the development of hypertension in a Xhosa African population of Eastern Cape, South AfricaMabhida, Sihle Ephraimhttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/94522022-11-16T00:01:35Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZInter-individual genetic variation and the development of hypertension in a Xhosa African population of Eastern Cape, South Africa
Mabhida, Sihle Ephraim
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally, accounting for 18.6 million deaths. Hypertension (HTN) drives the global burden of CVD and is a leading cause of cardiovascular-related mortality with 1.4 billion affected adults and 10.4 million deaths globally. This public health condition has been escalating alarmingly in low and middle-income countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, HTN is a major public health concern with South Africa having the highest prevalence between 27-58%. Accumulative evidence shows that HTN is driven by both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
2022-01-01T00:00:00Z