Browsing Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Biotechnology) by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-20 of 100
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Molecular detection and genetic manipulation of the Black Queen Cell Virus
(University of the Western Cape, 2002)The South African isolate of the Black Queen-Cell Virus (BQCV), a honeybee virus, was previously found to have an 8550 nucleotide genome excluding the poly(A) tail. Its genome contained two ORFs, a 5'-proximal ORF encoding ... -
The molecular characterization of trichoplusia ni single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus: a study on early regulatory features
(University of the Western Cape, 2003)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 ... -
Characterization of two Arabidopsis thaliana genes with roles in plant homeostasis
(University of the Western Cape, 2004)Plants are continuously exposed to varying conditions in their environment, to which they have to adapt by manipulating various cellular processes. Environmental (abiotic) and pathogen (biotic) stress are challenges against ... -
Identification and characterisation of a novel gene, DWNN, isolated from promoter-trapped Chinese hamster ovary cells
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)The process of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) killing involves the recognition and destruction of foreign antigens by cytotoxic T cells and is of crucial importance to the defence of the organism against viral infections. ... -
Structure, enzymology and genetic engineering of Bacillus sp. RAPc8 nitrile hydratase
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)Microbial nitrile hydratases (NHases) are important industrial enzymes that catalyse the conversion of nitriles to the corresponding amides. A thermostable, cobalt-type Bacillus sp. RAPc8 NHase was previously cloned and ... -
Cloning, expression and characterization of Novel Lipase and Esterases from Burkholderia multivorans UWC10
(2005)An esterase and lipase producing Burkholderia multivorans strain was isolated by culture enrichment strategies. A shotgun library of Burkholderia multivorans genomic DNA (prepared in E. coli/pUC18) was screened for lipase ... -
Characterization and engineering of Bacillus megaterium AS-35, for use in biodegradation of processed olive wastewater
(University of Western Cape, 2005)The popularization and health benefits associated with the "Mediterranean diet" saw a world wide increase in the production and consumption of processed olives and olive oil. During the brining of table olives large ... -
Cloning, expression and characterization of novel lipase and esterases from burkholderia multivorans UWCIO
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)An esterase and lipase producing Burkholderia multivorans strain was isolated by culture enrichment strategies. A shotgun library of Burkholderia multivorans genomic DNA (prepared in E. coli/pUC18) was screened for lipase ... -
Studies on the population genetics of Euphausiids: a comparison of patterns in plagic taxa displaying different distributions and life-histories
(University of the Western Cape, 2006)The systematic and population genetic relationships were characterised for three ecologically related euphausiid species: Euphausia lucens, E. recurva and E. vallentini. These species have different geographical distributions ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
Mining a Chinese hyperthermophilic metagenome
(University of the Western Cape, 2007)Metagenomic sequencing of environmental samples provide direct access to genomic information of organisms within the respective environments. This sequence information represents a significant resource for the identification ... -
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 ... -
Comparison of actinobacterial diversity in Marion Island terrestrial habitats
(University of the Western Cape, 2008)The major aim of this study is to determine and compare the distribution of bacteria and actinobacteria in Marion Island terrestrial habitats. -
The relationship between structure and thermostability of a nitrile hydratase from Goebacillus pallidus RAPc8
(University of the Western Cape, 2008)Nitrile hydratases (NHases) are very important biocatalysts for the enzymatic conversion of nitriles to industrially important amides such as acrylamide and nicotinamide. An “ideal” NHase should fulfil several essential ... -
Saturation sequencing, characterisation and mapping of the NBS-LRR resistance gene family in apple, Malus x domestica (Borkh)
(University of the Western Cape, 2008)To date five classes of resistance proteins have been identified in plants and these include the intracellular protein kinases, receptor-like protein kinases with extracellular leucinerich repeat (LRR) domain, LRR proteins ... -
Characterisation of microbial communities associated with hypolithic environments in Antarctic Dry Valley soils
(University of the Western Cape, 2008)The Eastern Antarctic Dry Valley region is a polar desert, where conditions of extreme aridity, high temperature fluctuations and high irradiation levels make it one of the most extreme environments on earth. Despite the ... -
Solution structure of the RING finger domain from the human splicing-associated protein RBBP6 using heteronuclear Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
(2009)Retinoblastoma-binding protein 6 (RBBP6) is a multi-domain human protein known to play a role in mRNA splicing, cell cycle control and apoptosis. The protein interacts with tumour suppressor proteins p53 and pRb and recent ... -
A yeast 2-hybrid screen to identify and characterize interaction partners of the cancer associated protein retinoblastoma binding protein 6
(2009)Retinoblastoma binding protein 6 (RBBP6) is a 250 kDa protein that is implicated in mRNA processing and ubiquitination functions and has been shown to be highly up-regulated in a number of cancers. In humans and mice,RBBP6 ... -
Molecular detection and characterisation of RNA viruses of honeybees
(University of the Western Cape, 2009)Propagation methods for honeybee viruses have not changed since these viruses were discovered. There are no suitable cell lines or cell culture techniques available for honeybee viruses. Honeybee viruses have to be manually ...
