Browsing Faculty of Natural Science by Author "Tuffin, Marla"
Now showing items 1-20 of 22
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Actinobacterial diversity of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes
Du Plessis, Gerda (University of the Western Cape, 2011)The class Actinobacteria consists of a heterogeneous group of filamentous, Gram-positive bacteria that colonise most terrestrial and aquatic environments. The industrial and biotechnological importance of the secondary ... -
Bacteriophage diversity in haloalkaline environments
Nemavhulani, Shonisani (University of the Western Cape, 2013)There are limited reports on virus population in haloalkaline environments; therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity and biology of bacteriophage communities in these environments. Bacteria ... -
Characterisation of the endophytic bacterial communities associated with South African sorghum plants: looking for potential plant growth-promoting endophytes
Finyom, Cyprien William Bopda (University of Western Cape, 2012)The term endophyte is used to define all microorganisms that, during a part of their life cycle, colonize the internal tissues of a plant host. Many endophytes have been found to promote plant growth by acting either as ... -
Cloning and characterization of three compost metagenome-derived α‑L‑Arabinofuranosidases with differing thermal stabilities
Fortune, Brent Marc (University of the Western Cape, 2014)Second generation biofuels production requires a suite of lignocellulolytic enzymes, acting synergistically to liberate the fermentable monosaccharides contained within agricultural waste materials. The use of thermostable ... -
Development of an actinobacteria based in vitro transcription and translation systems
Maake, Takalani Whitney (University of the Western Cape, 2015)Heterologous metagenomic screening strategies have relied largely on the construction of DNA libraries and screening in Escherichia coli to access novel enzymes. There is an increased demand for the identification of novel ... -
The diversity of key anabolic genes in antarctic hypolithons
Makhalanyane, Thulani Peter (2009)Antarctica is known for its pristine environments. A variety of unsuitable environmental conditions were once thought to render the continent unsuitable for sustaining life. However, metagenomic data have revealed a wealth ... -
Eukaryotic diversity of miers valley hypoliths
Keriuscia Gokul, Jarishma (University of the Western Cape, 2012)The extreme conditions of Antarctic desert soils render this environment selective towards a diverse range of psychrotrophic microbial communities. Cracks and fissures in translucent quartz rocks permit an adequate amount ... -
Functional characterisation of a novel ferulic acid esterase from malawian hot spring metagenome
Ngobeni, Rhulani (2011)There has been a decline in the global fossil fuel reserves, due to an increasing demand for petroleum. Biofuels can be used as an alternative source of energy whereby biomass is converted to liquid fuels such as bioethanol. ... -
Functional characterisation of a thermophilic cellulase from a Malawian metagenomic library
January, Timna (2013)Biofuels are currently recognised as the most viable source of energy to replace depleting fossil fuel reserves, with bioethanol the most popular alternative alcohol fuel. Producing bioethanol from agricultural waste ... -
Identification and characterisation of hemicellulases from thermophilic Actinomycetes
Matthews, Lesley-Ann A. (University of the Western Cape, 2010)To ensure the sustainability of bioethanol production, major attention has been directed to develop feedstocks which provide an alternative to food-crop biomass. Lignocellulosic (LC) biomass, which is chiefly composed of ... -
Identification of endophytic bacterial communities associated with South African crops: sorghum bicolor (L. Moench), pennisetum glaucum and arachis villosulicarpa
Maropola, Mapula Kgomotso Annah (University of the Western Cape, 2014)In this study, the diversity of endophytic bacteria associated with food crops, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) and groundnut (Arachis villosulicarpa) is investigated using ... -
Identification of rhizospheric microorganisms associated with sorghum
Tshabuse, Freedom (University of the Western Cape, 2012)Approximately 50% of sorghum (Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench) produced globally is used as human food, with 95% of its total consumption occurring in Africa. Unfortunately, sorghum crops are prone to pathogenic attack, notably ... -
Isolation and characterisation of a xylanase producing isolate from straw-based compost
Mutengwe, Rudzani Ruth (University of the Western Cape, 2012)Lignocellulosic biomass, a waste component of the agricultural industry, is a promising source for use in bioethanol production. Due to a complex structure, the synergistic action of lignocellulosic enzymes is required to ... -
Isolation and characterisation of esterases from thermophilic Actinomyces
Oldale, Megan (University of the Western Cape, 2010)Alternative sources of fuel are required worldwide, and bio-ethanol is the leading candidate. Lignocellulosic biomass, a waste component of the agricultural industry, is a promising renewable source. Due to its complex ... -
The isolation and characterisation of novel natural products from marine bacterial symbionts
Klein, Timothy Matsiko Ninsiima (University of the Western Cape, 2015)Drug-resistant infections are a global health crisis and drastically hinder the treatment options to effectively combat disease. Today, natural products remain an important source of novel drug candidates. Micro-organisms, ... -
Laccases from actinomycetes for lignocellulose degradation
Mamphogoro, Tshifhiwa Paris (University of the Western Cape, 2012)The purpose of this study shows that lignocellulose has a complex structure composed mainly of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Several enzymes are needed for the degradation of lignocellulose into simple sugars. ... -
Matrix comparison of isolation conditions for secondary metabolite producing marine sponge associated bacteria
Matobole, Relebohile Matthew (University of the Western Cape, 2015)The discovery of novel secondary metabolites has declined significantly in recent years whereas there is a rise in the number of multi-drug resistant pathogens and other types of diseases. The decline in natural product ... -
Screening for fluorescent and chromoproteins from South African sea anemones
Nyman, Tanya (University of the Western Cape, 2012)Sea anemones (Order Actinaria) are a diverse order from the Class Anthozoa. They are found in all marine habitats at all depths and their symbiotic relationships play an important role in energy transfers especially in the ... -
Screening for subtate tolerant Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8 nitrile hydratase
Mketsu, Moses Clive Masisange (University of the Western Cape, 2009)In this study G. pallidus RAPc8 NHase mutants were screened for reduced substrate inhibition compared to the wild type enzyme. Wild type and mutant enzymes were expressed and purified using hydrophobic interaction ... -
Seasonal dynamics of edaphic bacterial communities in the hyper-arid Namib desert
Armstrong, Alacia (University of the Western Cape, 2014)The aim of this study is to investigate the edaphic bacterial community dynamics over short (57 days) and long-term (1 year) sampling intervals using an extensive sampling strategy in combination with community fingerprinting ...