Medicinal plants are the wealthy source of antibacterial agents and curatives. There is an urgent need for new antimicrobial agents, so the antimicrobial activity for Ruta graveolens L. and Ficus carica Linn. Crude extracts were evaluated for its inhibitory activity against some disease causing selected microorganisms. Root extract of Ruta graveolens L gave 8 and 7 mm inhibition zone against Es...

Serine proteases are highly conserved among fungi and considered to play a key role in different aspects of fungal biology. These proteases can be involved in development and have been related to pathogenesis or biocontrol processes. A gene (tvsp1) encoding an extracellular serine protease was cloned from Trichoderma virens, a biocontrol agent effective against soilborne fungal pathogens. The g...

Even though -1,6-glucanases have been purified from several filamentous fungi, the physiological function has not been conclusively established for any species. In the present study, the role of Tvbgn3, a -1,6glucanase from Trichoderma virens, was examined by comparison of wild-type (WT) and transformant strains in which Tvbgn3 was disrupted (GKO) or constitutively overexpressed (GOE). Gene exp...

We have isolated major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II beta loci from the little greenbul (Andropadus virens), an African songbird. We utilized preexisting information about conserved regions of the avian MHC to design primers to amplify a pool of sequences representing multiple loci. From this pool, a unique locus spanning 1109 bp that we designate as Anvi-DAB1 was cloned and sequenc...

objective: the genus trichoderma comprises a great number of fungal strains that act as biological control agents, the antagonistic properties of which are based on the activation of multiple mechanisms. methods: trichoderma strains exert biocontrol against fungal phytopathogens either indirectly, by competing for nutrients and space, modifying the environmental conditions, or promoting plant g...

The antioxidant effect of aqueous extract of the bark of FB has been evaluated in hypercholesterolaemic rabbits. The water extracts of the bark of Ficus benghalensis at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight per day in addition to cholesterol suspended in oil. There results show that the water extract of the bark of Ficus benghalensis has significant antioxidant effect, in addition to hypolipidaemic ef...

Ficus religiosa (Bo tree) is the most popular member of the genus Ficus, commonly named as Peepal. Various parts of the plant, like bark, fruit, leaves and seeds are widely used in indigenous system of medicine. F. religiosa showed a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities like, anticonvulsant, anthelmintic, anti-amnesic, anti-anxiety, anti-asthmatic, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflam...

Mutualisms are interspecific interactions in which both players benefit. Explaining their maintenance is problematic, because cheaters should outcompete cooperative conspecifics, leading to mutualism instability. Monoecious figs (Ficus) are pollinated by host-specific wasps (Agaonidae), whose larvae gall ovules in their "fruits" (syconia). Female pollinating wasps oviposit directly into Ficus o...

The majority of species in the mulberry family (Moraceae) are figs (Ficus), marked by a specialized inflorescence (syconium) and an obligate mutualism with pollinating fig wasps. Because of the unique morphology of the syconium, it has been difficult to investigate the evolutionary position of the fig. We sequenced the chloroplast gene ndhF to examine relationships in Moraceae and to elucidate ...