Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biotechnology)
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Recent Submissions
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Influence of a selected endophyte consortium on salinity responses in Medicago sativa
(University of Western Cape, 2022)Salinity is one of the major limiting factors to crop production, which consequently contributes to the risk of reduced food security. Among other factors, food security depends on availability of sufficient and nutritious ... -
DNA metabarcoding for the identification of species within vegetarian food samples
(University of the Western Cape, 2021)Aims DNA metabarcoding has recently emerged as a valuable supplementary tool to ensure food authenticity within the global food market. However, it is widely known that highly processed food samples are one of DNA ... -
Comparison of multi-gene integration strategies in CRISPR-based transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(University of the Western Cape, 2021)Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important host in industrial biotechnology. This yeast is the host of choice for the first and second-generation biofuels for ethanol production. Genome modification in S. cerevisiae has been ... -
Screening of marine bacteria as a source of bioactive secondary metabolites
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Marine invertebrate associated (MIA) bacteria are an important source of bioactive secondary metabolites with the potential to address the current anti-microbial resistance crisis experienced globally. Secondary metabolites ... -
Comparison of multi-gene integration strategies in CRISPR-based transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important host in industrial biotechnology. This yeast is the host of choice for the first and second-generation biofuels for ethanol production. Genome modification in S. cerevisiae has been ... -
Analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria associated with the roots of Proteaceae plant species in soils of Fynbos ecosystem
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)Molecular methods were used to investigate the microbial diversity and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) associated with the roots of the Proteaceae plant family. The identification of ammonia ... -
Microbiology of fly ash-acid mine drainage co-disposal processes
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)The waste products acid mine drainage (AMD), formed during coal mining and fly ash (FA) from coal burning power generation, pose substantial environmental and economic problems for South Africa. Eskom has developed a ... -
Recombinant expression of the pRb- and p53-interacting domains from the human RBBP6 protein for in vitro binding studies
(University of the Western Cape, 2004)This thesis describes the cloning and recombinant expression of domains from the human RBBP6 protein for future in vitro binding studies with pRb and p53. RBBP6 is a splicing-associated protein that is known to interact ... -
Structural characterisation of the interaction between RBBP6 and the multifunctional protein YB-l
(University of the Western Cape, 2010)Retinoblastoma binding protein 6 (RBBP6) is a 250 kDa RING finger-containing protein whose function is known to be mediated through interaction with other proteins. RBBP6 plays a role in the regulation of the tumour ... -
Laccases from actinomycetes for lignocellulose degradation
(University of the Western Cape, 2012)Lignocellulose has a complex structure composed mainly of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Several enzymes are needed for the degradation of lignocellulose into simple sugars. Actinomycetes are known to produce laecases ... -
Identification and validation of putative therapeutic and diagnostic antimicrobial peptides against HIV: An in silico approach
(University of the Western Cape, 2013)Background: Despite the effort of scientific research on HIV therapies and to reduce the rate of HIV infection, AIDS still remains one of the major causes of death in the world and mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa. To date, ... -
The impact of different storage temperatures and storage period on the antioxidant activity of pomegranate
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Fruit storage at cold temperatures is normally used to delay decay while maintaining the fruit’s quality. However, storage at low temperatures for a prolonged period causes some important metabolic functions within the ... -
Effects of nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide on antioxidant enzyme activity in zea mays subjected to drought
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Agricultural practices are significantly affected by drought. Drought is one of the most important plant stresses, causing several physiological, morphological, biochemical, and molecular changes in plants. Drought stress ... -
Improvement of cell-surface adhered cellulase activities in recombinant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered for consolidated bioprocessing
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), in which a single organism in a single reactor is responsible for the conversion of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass to bioethanol, remains an attractive option for production of commodity ... -
Signalling molecule “calcium” improves germination and growth of Sorghum bicolor seedlings under salt stress
(University of the Western Cape, 2021)Abiotic stress, mainly in the form of extreme temperatures, drought and salinity has caused major crop losses worldwide, putting a severe strain on agriculture. Salinity severely limits plant growth and productivity and ... -
The effects of gallic acid on the membrane proteome and antioxidant system of wheat plants under salt stress
(University of Western Cape, 2020)Salt stress is a major abiotic stress that accounts for huge agricultural losses worldwide, which in turn threaten food security and sustainable agriculture. Salt triggers the excessive production of reactive oxygen species ... -
Targeted delivery of GFP loaded polymeric nanoparticles to CD4 expressing cells using a CD4 specific aptamer
(University of the Western Cape, 2020)Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which is the cause of Acquired Immunodefiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a major global public health issue affecting over 37 million people worldwide and is responsible for claiming over 32 ... -
Isolation and characterisation of leaf endophytic bacteria from weed plants for enhancing salinity stress tolerance in Brassica napus
(University of the Western Cape, 2020)In an ever changing environment, plants are constantly challenged by various abiotic stresses such as salinity, which limits global crop production. This directly affects food availability for the global population, which ... -
Isolation and characterization of bacterial endophytes for growth promotion of Phaseolus vulgaris under salinity stress
(University of the Western Cape, 2020)As the global human population grows, so does the demand for faster food production rates. Owing to this, agricultural practices have had to expand and move into semi-arid and arid regions, too, where frequent irrigation ... -
Biochemical characterization of β-xylosidase and β-glucosidase isolated from a thermophilic horse manure metagenomic library
(University of the Western Cape, 2020)The complete degradation of recalcitrant lignocellulose biomass into value-added products requires the efficient and synergistic action of lignocellulose degrading enzymes. This has resulted in a need for the discovery of ...