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In order to characterize the production of sheep milk in Algeria (North of Africa) and to detect molecular markers related to the constitution of the protein phase of this milk, we proposed to analyze the electrophoretic behaviors of caseins and serum proteins under various migration conditions (native, urea and SDS-PAGE), from milk collected during the first three months of the year, from two breeds Ouled-Djellal and Rembi, living in the central area steppe. The profiles obtained show a great similarity and homogeneity between the different samples of the milk of the two breeds of ewes studied as to the number and intensity of the revealed migration bands. Some of the latter are nevertheless distinguished from cow's milk by different levels of migration and intensity, which require partial sequencing to be able to identify them with certainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variability was studied in 78 populations of locally collected Vicia L. taxa for seed albumins, globulins and prolamins patterns by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) along with an ecogeographic characterization of sites investigated. 131, 119 and 98 bands were respectively used for albumin, globulin and prolamin cluster analysis. Dendrograms based on the Jaccard index and the UPGMA method were generated and the degree of genetic diversity between and within taxa was evaluated. Five clusters were generated from albumins, six from globulins and four from prolamins patterns. The results reflect the great diversity of storage proteins and a high correlation was obtained between the three studied fractions. Several accessions present specific bands which could be used as a discriminatory marker both on intra and interspecific levels. No clear relationships were seen between the groups according to their geographical origin. Data obtained from ecogeographic investigation can be used for future collecting missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Considering that XP patients have a defect of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway which enables them to repair DNA damage caused by UV light, they have an increased risk of developing skin and eyes cancers. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of the prevalent XPA and XPC genes mutations—nonsense mutation (c.682C>T, p.Arg228X) and a two-base-pair (2 bp) deletion (c.1643_1644delTG or p.Val548Ala fsX25), respectively—in 19 index cases from 19 unrelated families in the West of Algeria. For the genetic diagnosis of XPA gene, we proceeded to PCR-RFLP. For the XPC gene, we validated a routine analysis which includes a specific amplification of a short region surrounding the 2 bp deletion using a fluorescent primer and fragment sizing (GeneScan size) on a sequencing gel. Among the 19 index cases, there were 17 homozygous patients for the 2 bp deletion in the XPC gene and 2 homozygous patients carrying the nonsense XPA mutation. Finally, XPC appears to be the major disease-causing gene concerning xeroderma pigmentosum in North Africa. The use of fragment sizing is the simplest method to analyze this 2 bp deletion for the DNA samples coming from countries where the mutation c.1643_1644delTG of XPC gene is prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in Algeria where two forms have been previously described, the sporadic form caused by Leishmania infantum in the north and the cutaneous form caused by L. major in central and southern parts of the country. During 2005, a CL outbreak occurred in the province of Ghardaïa, located in the north of Sahara, where 2040 cases were recorded, of which several were from urban areas. Six strains isolated from patients with active lesions were identified by isoenzyme electrophoresis and by molecular typing using systematic sequencing of a large subunit of the RNA polymerase. Four of the strains belonged to a new zymodeme, MON-301, close to L. killicki MON-8. The two other isolates were identified as L. major zymodeme MON-25. The new dermatropic Leishmania close to L. killicki is reported for the first time in Algeria and coexists sympatrically with L. major MON-25 in the region of Ghardaïa where they occur in their usual vectors of Phlebotomus papatasi (L. major) and P. sergenti (L. tropica). This new parasite demonstrates the need for further investigations to elucidate the life cycle and transmission of the emergent disease and to evaluate its phylogenetic position in the taxonomy of Leishmania. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]