Institute for Microbial Biotechnology & Metagenomics

Search within this community and its collections:

Advanced Search

Browse by

By Issue Date
Authors
Titles
Subjects

Collections in this community

Book Chapters (IMBM)
Research Articles (IMBM)

Recent Submissions

Review and re-analysis of domain-specific 16S primers

Baker, Gillian; Smith, J.J.; Cowan, Donald A. (Elsevier, 2003)

[more]

[less]

Abstract:

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has facilitated the detection of unculturable microorganisms in virtually any environmental source and has thus been used extensively in the assessment of environmental microbial diversity. This technique relies on the assumption that the gene sequences present in the environment are complementary to the “universal” primers used in their amplification. The recent discovery of new taxa with 16S rDNA sequences not complementary to standard universal primers suggests that current 16S rDNA libraries are not representative of true prokaryotic biodiversity. Here we re-assess the specificity of commonly used 16S rRNA gene primers and present these data in tabular form designed as a tool to aid simple analysis, selection and implementation. In addition, we present two new primer pairs specifically designed for effective ‘universal’ Archaeal 16S rDNA sequence amplification. These primers are found to amplify sequences from Crenarchaeote and Euryarchaeote type strains and environmental DNA.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10566/169

Files in this item: 1

BakerReviewReanalysis2003.pdf (969.0Kb)

Acrolein in wine: Importance of 3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde and derivatives in production and detection

Cowan, Donald A.; Crouch, Andrew; Bauer, Rolene (American Chemical Society, 2010)

[more]

[less]

Abstract:	This review highlights the importance of 3-HPA and derivates in the detection of acrolein in wine. The biochemical and environmental conditions leading to 3-HPA production are also reviewed.
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/10566/168

Files in this item: 1

BauerAcrolein2010.pdf (123.6Kb)

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of thermostable nitrile hydratase: research letter

Cowan, Donald A.; Sayed, Muhammed F.; Tsekoa, Tsepo L.; Cameron, Rory A.; Sewell, B. Trevor (Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2004)

[more]

[less]

Abstract:

Microbial nitrile hydratases are important industrial enzymes that catalyse the conversion of nitriles to the corresponding amides. Bacillus strain RAPc8 nitrile hydratase has recently been cloned and functionally expressed in E. coli. Here, the purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction data of this nitrile hydratase are described. The heterotetrameric enzyme was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Crystals produced in the presence of 30% PEG 400, 0.1 M MES (pH 6.5) and 0.1 M magnesium chloride were selected for X-ray diffraction studies. A data set complete to 2.5 Å was collected under cryoconditions at the in-house X-ray source at the University of the Western Cape. The space group was determined to be primitive tetragonal (P41212) with unit cell dimensions a = 106.61 Å, b = 106.61 Å, c=83.23 Å, = = =90°; with one dimer per asymmetric unit. Solution of the three-dimensional structure via molecular replacement is in progress.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10566/167

Files in this item: 1

TsekoaPurification2004.pdf (784.0Kb)

Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils contain unexpectedly high levels of microbial biomass

Cowan, Donald A.; Mamais, A.; Russell, Nick A.; Sheppard, Devon M. (Springer Verlag, 2002)

[more]

[less]

Abstract:

We have applied bioluminescent ATP detection methods to microbial enumeration in Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils, and validated our ATP data by two independent methods. We have demonstrated that ATP measurement is a valid means of determining microbial biomass in such sites, and that the desiccated surface mineral soils of the Antarctic Dry Valleys contain cell numbers over four orders of magnitude higher than previously suggested

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10566/162

Files in this item: 1

CowanAntacticDryValleys2002.pdf (475.3Kb)

Efficient molecular cloning of environmental DNA from geothermal sediments

Wilkinson, Dianne E.; Jaenicke, Thomas; Cowan, Donald A. (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002)

[more]

[less]

Abstract:

An efficient and simple method for constructing an environmental library using mechanically sheared DNA obtained directly from geothermal sediments is presented. The method is based on blunt-end modification of DNA fragments followed by 3' -adenylation using Vent DNA polymerase and Taq DNA polymerase, respectively. The prepared DNA fragments are then ligated into a TA cloning vector and used in the transformation of Escherichia coli. This method has been successfully applied to the cloning of ORFs derived from uncultivated prokaryotes present in geothermal sediment.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10566/161

Files in this item: 1

WilkinsonEfficientMolecular2002.pdf (754.4Kb)

Institute for Microbial Biotechnology & Metagenomics

UWC Research Repository

Institute for Microbial Biotechnology & Metagenomics

Browse by

Collections in this community

Recent Submissions

Search Research Repository

Browse

All of Research Repository

This Community

My Account

Statistics