Browsing Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Biotechnology) by Title
Now showing items 43-62 of 100
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Identification of ruantitative trait loci controlling the requirement for chilling in vegetative budbreak in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.)
(2008)The domesticated apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) has been distributed into diverse climatic conditions worldwide for commercial production of fruit. Apple trees need exposure to cold temperatures, referred to as chill ... -
Identification of sub-clinical biomarkers that predict the risk of developing diabetic cardiomyopathy
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death of people with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). According to a statistical report from the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 17.9 million people ... -
The implementation of sub-typing techniques to determine the diversity of L. monocytogenes strains adapted to the food processing environment and their association with human listeriosis cases
(University of the Western Cape, 2011)Listeria monocytogenes has been established as a food-borne pathogen since the early 1980s and has become a big concern for the food industry and Public Health authorities (Doyle 2001; Oliveira et al. 2003; Capita et al. ... -
In silico and molecular validation of identified putative genes and functional analysis of a N K G2D ligand as a breast cancer biomarkers
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)The current diagnostic, prognostic, predictive and therapeutic monitoring methods used for breast cancer are limited. Thus, research into more specific, sensitive and effective strategies is required. Breast cancer is ... -
In-silico optimization and molecular validation of putative anti-HIV antimicrobial peptides for therapeutic purpose
(University of the Western cape, 2016)AIDS is considered a pandemic causing millions of deaths worldwide and a cure for this disease is still not available. Failure to implement early treatments due to the poor diagnostic methods and ineffective therapeutic ... -
Inter-individual genetic variation and the development of hypertension in a Xhosa African population of Eastern Cape, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)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 ... -
The interactive effects of salt stress and Fusarium proliferatum infection on maize seedlings
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Field crops are often subjected to multiple co-occurring stress factors, and they evolved specific mechanisms to counteract the effects of these stress factors. Most studies explore the fundamental molecular mechanisms ... -
Investigating the antimicrobial potential of Thalassomonas actiniarum
(University of the Western Cape, 2020)bioassay guided isolation approach was then used to isolate the high molecular weight antibacterial compound (50kDa-100kDa) from T. actiniarum fermentations. With common protein isolation, purification and detection methods ... -
Investigating the antimicrobial potential of Thalassomonas actiniarum
(University of Western Cape, 2020)The World Health Organisation predicts that by the year 2050, 10 million people could die annually as a result of infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria. Individuals with compromised immune systems, caused by ... -
An investigation into the antimicrobial and immune modulatory effects of Sutherlandia frutescens and Salvia africana-lutea extracts and their respective biogenic nanoparticles
(University of the Western Cape, 2020)The prevalence of cancer and antibiotic-resistant microbes has led to the necessity of affordable, efficacious, non-toxic and easily accessible therapeutic approaches. There is numerous anecdotal evidence that African ... -
Investigation of Guayule's Agronomic Performance and Agro-processing in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2017)Guayule (Parthenium argentatum) is grown for its high quality hypoallergenic natural rubber latex production. The plant is native to the Chihuahua desert of North America and successful trials have been done in Europe, the ... -
Investigation of the interactions of retinoblastoma binding protein-6 with transcription factors p53 and Y-Box Binding Protein-1
(2011)Retinoblastoma Binding Protein 6 (RBBP6) is a 250 kDa multi-domain protein that has been implicated in diverse cellular processes including apoptosis, mRNA processing and cell cycle regulation. Many of these functions are ... -
Isolation, identification and characterisation of novel actinobacteria from Zambian hot-springs
(2011)Actinomycetes are ubiquitous in many environments such as soil, activated sludge and water.Besides the genus Streptomyces, which has been extensively exploited, members of other genera including Micromonospora have been ... -
Manipulating biotic and abiotic factors to enhance the remediation of agri-industrial wastewater in pilot-scale constructed wetlands
(University of the Western Cape, 2012)As a consequence of various cellar activities the wine industry produces copious volumes of potentially hazardous wastewater each year. South Africa is one of the top ten wine-producing countries, making the successful ... -
Mapping and identification of disease resistance candidate genes in three Malus populations using SSRs, DArT and Infinium SNP markers and Illumina sequencing technology
(University of the Western Cape, 2014)Apple scab, powdery mildew and woolly apple aphid are a major concern for apple breeders and producers. Control of these diseases is a significant economic and marketing priority for the South African apple industry. ... -
Massively-Parallel Computational Identification of Novel Broad Spectrum Antivirals to Combat Coronavirus Infection
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)Given the significant disease burden caused by human coronaviruses, the discovery of an effective antiviral strategy is paramount, however there is still no effective therapy to combat infection. This thesis details the ... -
Metagenome sequencing and in silico gene discovery: From genetic potential to function
(University of the Western Cape, 2012)In a previous study, metagenomic DNA extracted from Antarctic Dry Valley soils was used to construct a large contig bacterial shotgun fosmid library (Anderson, 2008). In the current study, clones were selected based on ... -
Metagenomic approaches to gene discovery
(University of the Western Cape, 2006)The classical approach to gene discovery has been to culture micro-organisms demonstrating a specific enzyme activity and then to recover the gene of interest through shotgun cloning. The realization that these standard ... -
Microbial diversity and gene mining in Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils
(University of the Western Cape, 2006)Soil communities are regarded as among the most complex and diverse assemblages of microorganisms with estimated bacterial numbers in the order of 109-1 cells.g. Studies on extreme soils however, have reported lower cell ... -
Microbial ecology of hot and cold desert edaphic communities
(University of the Western Cape, 2012)This thesis presents significant advances into the microbial ecology of hypolithic communities in two hyperarid deserts. Deserts account for one fifth of the Earths total surface area. These zones differ substantially in ...