Solanum, with approximately 1,500 species, is the largest genus in the Solanaceae and includes economically important species such as the tomato, potato, and eggplant. In part due to its large size and tropical center of diversity, resolving evolutionary relationships across Solanum as a whole has been challenging. In order to identify major clades within Solanum and to gain insight into phylog...

A data set derived from gene sequences of ndhF is used to deduce phylogenetic relationships among the subgenera of Solanum, among related genera of the tribe Solaneae, and within selected Solanum clades. Complete ndhF sequences were obtained for 12 species of Solanum, representing five of the seven subgenera. ndhF sequences also were obtained from species of Capsicum, Cyphomandra, Datura, Jalto...

Effects of methanol leaf extract Clerodendrum violaceum on liver function indices Swiss mice was evaluated. Six groups (A-F) ten each were used. Groups B-F administered 31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500 mg/kg body weight violaceum, respectively. Group A received 5% DMSO (control). Five animals in group sacrificed after 14 days administration; the remaining 28 administration. Blood collected for analys...

Tryptophan is an aromatic amino acid used for protein synthesis and cellular growth. Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 12472 uses two tryptophan molecules to synthesize violacein, a secondary metabolite of pharmacological interest. The genome analysis of this bacterium revealed that the genes trpA-F and pabA-B encode the enzymes of the tryptophan pathway in which the first reaction is the conversi...

An ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract isolated from the marine bacterium, Rheinheimera aquimaris QSI02, was found to exhibit anti-quorum sensing (anti-QS) activity. A subsequent bioassay-guided isolation protocol led to the detection of an active diketopiperazine factor, cyclo(Trp-Ser). Biosensor assay data showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cyclo(Trp-Ser) ranged from 3.2 mg/m...

Centre formation in Polysphondylium violaceum is delayed for 2 h on buffered agar containing 10(-3) M c-AMP, and for up to 22 h on unbuffered agar with the same c-AMP concentration. With ambient c-AMP concentrations as low as 10(-6) M, P. pallidum forms numerous, small, atypical aggregates which do not fruit. This effect is independent of whether the agar is buffered. P. violaceum amoebae are w...

The polyhydroxyalkanoic acid synthase gene from Chromobacterium violaceum (phaC(Cv)) was cloned and characterized. A 6.3-kb BamHI fragment was found to contain both phaC(Cv) and the polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (PHA)-specific 3-ketothiolase (phaA(Cv)). Escherichia coli strains harboring this fragment produced significant levels of PHA synthase and 3-ketothiolase, as judged by their activities. Whil...

Conventional leaching (extraction) methods for gold recovery from electronic waste involve the use of strong acids and pose considerable threat to the environment. The alternative use of bioleaching microbes for gold recovery is non-pollutive and relies on the secretion of a lixiviant or (bio)chemical such as cyanide for extraction of gold from electronic waste. However, widespread industrial u...

Strain CC-SEYA-1T, a motile, Gram-negative, non-violet-pigmented bacterium, was isolated on nutrient agar from spring-water samples collected from Yang-Ming Mountain, Taipei County, Taiwan. 16S rRNA gene sequence studies showed that the strain clustered with Chromobacterium violaceum (96.8 % similarity) and Chromobacterium subtsugae (96.5 % similarity), followed by Aquitalea magnusonii (95.8 % ...