Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
School of Biological Sciences
Department of Botany
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Research into the molecular basis of plant-pathogen interactions has focused on the biochemical characterization of polygalacturonase inhibiting proteins (PGIP) from apple plants. PGIPs are cell-wall associated proteins that inhibit cell-wall degrading polygalacturonases (PG) produced by pathogenic fungi. PGIPs are widespread in dicot plants and often encoded by gene families, which makes it difficult to study PGIPs directly in host plants since different family members often co-purify.
In research carried out in collaboration with the ARC-Roodeplaat Vegetable and Ornamental Plant Institute and the University of Johannesburg, a particular pgip gene, apple pgip1, was cloned and expressed in transgenic tobacco.
Purification of the apple PGIP1 without contamination from endogenous PGIPs was used to solve the problem of PGIP mixtures and prove that this protein inhibited PGs from pathogens of apple and lupin plants. This opens the possibility of using the apple PGIP1 in a genetic modification strategy for crop improvement.
The Microarray Platform Project at the ACGT Microarray Facility was supported by a grant from the Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centre, BioPAD. It was set up to increase human capacity in applying microarray technology in the BioPAD region by involving researchers and technical assistants at the University, University of Witwatersrand, and Inqaba Biotechnical Industries Pty (Ltd). A service pipeline is being developed to efficiently support small to large microarray projects in South Africa.
The microarray lab has also presented a Crop Bioinformatics training workshop for African scientists on databases, internet resources and bioinformatics for crop improvement. It was funded by the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) and attended by scientists from ten African countries. The co-presenter was Prof Jan Peter Nap from Wageninen University and Research, Netherlands
Contact person: Prof DK Berger.
Several novel bioactive compounds have been isolated and identified from medicinal plants with anticancer, antityrosinase, antidiabetic and anti-plasmodium activity. Pharmaceutical companies in pre-clinical trials are currently testing the bioactive compounds from two of these plants with anti-hypoglycaemic and anti-herpes activity.
The best antituberculosis compound (7-methyljuglone) isolated from the medicinal plant, Euclea natalensis, was chemically synthesised and its mode of action investigated. The mode of action was found to be on the electron transfer process and proved to be a novel mechanism on tuberculosis; this has some exciting possibilities to design a potent antituberculosis drug with little toxicity.
An NRF/Royal Society grant was awarded for a tuberculosis project, which enabled students to conduct research at Queen’s College, Belfast (UK). Compounds belonging to the naphthoquinone group have been shown to have inhibition on the mycothiol reductase enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which indicates a novel mode of action for this group of compounds
Contact person: Prof JJM Meyer.
Several novel bioactive compounds have been isolated and identified from medicinal plants with anticancer, antityrosinase, antidiabetic and anti-plasmodium activity. Pharmaceutical companies in pre-clinical trials are currently testing the bioactive compounds from two of these plants with anti-hypoglycaemic and anti-herpes activity.
The best antituberculosis compound (7-methyljuglone) isolated from the medicinal plant, Euclea natalensis, was chemically synthesised and its mode of action investigated. The mode of action was found to be on the electron transfer process and proved to be a novel mechanism on tuberculosis; this has some exciting possibilities to design a potent antituberculosis drug with little toxicity.
An NRF/Royal Society grant was awarded for a tuberculosis project, which enabled students to conduct research at Queen’s College, Belfast (UK). Compounds belonging to the naphthoquinone group have been shown to have inhibition on the mycothiol reductase enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which indicates a novel mode of action for this group of compounds
Contact person: Dr N Lall.
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