Mohamed Enan - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mohamed Enan

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DNA Barcoding and Molecular Phylogeny, 2018

Forensic botany is an interdisciplinary area where the knowledge of botany is applied to solve th... more Forensic botany is an interdisciplinary area where the knowledge of botany is applied to solve the crime. The ambitious idea of using DNA barcoding for large-scale species identification is already a powerful tool for scientists, and the application of this standard technique appears promising in a range of fields including forensic genetics. Botanical evidence can provide useful leads in forensic investigations; however, many plant materials cannot be identified to the species level only by morphological features. Taking advantage of DNA sequencing and other biomolecular techniques, exact identification of plants becomes useful in selected cases in court producing successful results. Forensic botany can provide significant supporting evidence during criminal investigations. The ubiquitous presence of plant species can be useful in forensics, but the absence of an accurate identification system remains the major obstacle to the present inability to routinely and correctly identify trace botanical evidence. Many plant materials cannot be identified and differentiated to the species level by traditional morphological characteristics when botanical specimens are degraded and lack physical features. By taking advantage of a universal barcode system, DNA sequencing, and other biomolecular techniques used routinely in forensic investigations, two chloroplast DNA regions were evaluated for their use as “barcoding” markers for plant identification in the field of forensics. In this chapter, we review (1) the use of DNA barcoding in forensics, (2) subdisciplines of forensic botany, (3) the history and potential of pollen in forensic studies, (4) DNA barcoding for timber identification, (5) DNA barcoding of pollen grains, and (6) the use of plant forensics in death investigation.

Genetics and molecular research : GMR, 2016

The efficacy of genetic material for use as DNA barcodes is under constant evaluation and improve... more The efficacy of genetic material for use as DNA barcodes is under constant evaluation and improvement as new barcodes offering better resolution and efficiency of amplification for specific species groups are identified. In this study, the chloroplast intergenic spacer psbK-psbI was evaluated for the first time as a DNA barcode for distinguishing date palm cultivars. Nucleotide sequences were aligned using MEGA 6.0 to calculate pairwise divergence among the cultivars. The analyzed data illustrated a considerable level of variability in the genetic pool of the selected cultivars (0.009). In fact, five haplotypes were detected among 30 cultivars examined, yielding a haplotype diversity of 0.685. An unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean phylogenetic tree was constructed and shows a well-defined relationship among date palm cultivar varieties. On the other hand, selective neutrality investigations using Tajima test and Fu and Li tests were negative, providing evidence that d...

Veterinary Parasitology, 2011

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from naturally infected Gallus domesticus in Santa Catar... more Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from naturally infected Gallus domesticus in Santa Catarina state, Brazil [Genotipagem de Toxoplasma gondii isolados de Gallus domesticus naturalmente infectados no estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil]

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2003

By the low-stringency single-specific-primer PCR technique, a highly sensitive and rapid method f... more By the low-stringency single-specific-primer PCR technique, a highly sensitive and rapid method for diagnosis of rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis was established. Seven rifampin-resistant and five rifampin-susceptible specimens were analyzed. Rifampin resistance was determined by MIC measurement. A complex electrophoretic pattern consisting of many bands was obtained for both susceptible and rifampin-resistant isolates. The same pattern was obtained for all of the susceptible specimens, but differences between resistant and susceptible isolates were found. DNA sequencing showed that a particular mutation produces a specific electrophoretic pattern.

American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2007

Paranitrophenol is a common toxic environmental pollutant; the aim of this study was to evaluate ... more Paranitrophenol is a common toxic environmental pollutant; the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of the DNA fingerprinting by AP-PCR assay to detect the DNA damage in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) exposed to different concentrations of paranitrophenol (4.0-720 nM). The changes occurring in the fingerprint patterns were likely to be the result of paranitrophenolinduced DNA damage. These changes include variation in band loss and gain. Paranitrophenol was able to induce DNA damage in concentration-related manner with effectiveness at higher concentrations. A total of 488 bands were clearly identified and 39% markers were polymorphic. Genetic distance between control and exposed plant samples served to produce a dendrogram. The dendrogram comprised three main clusters, one of which including control and plant samples exposed to lower concentrations and the other two clusters included plants exposed to higher concentrations. This study clearly demonstrates that AP-PCR is highly useful for assessing DNA damage in plant exposed to chemicals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the applicability of paranitrophenol for inducing DNA damage in higher plants.

Biocontrol efficiency of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins against

Indian Journal of Pure & Applied Biosciences

OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences

Dragonflies are insects in the order Odonata. They inhabit freshwater ecosystems and are found in... more Dragonflies are insects in the order Odonata. They inhabit freshwater ecosystems and are found in the UAE. To date, few checklists have been published for the local dragonflies and the used identification keys are not comprehensive of Arabia. The aim of this study was to provide a molecular identification of a dragonfly based on the mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene using the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database and the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) in comparison with the morphology. The insect's DNA was extracted and the PCR was performed on the target gene. The insect was identified initially as Anax imperator based on the NCBI database and as Anax parthenope based on the BOLD. However, the morphological identification was in agreement with the one produced by the BOLD. The results of this study is a demonstration of how, in some cases, the DNAbased identification does not provide a conclusive species designation and that a morphology-based identification is needed.

Advances in Entomology

Hyalomma dromedarii ticks are important disease vectors to camels in the UAE and worldwide. Ticks... more Hyalomma dromedarii ticks are important disease vectors to camels in the UAE and worldwide. Ticks can be identified using DNA-based techniques. In addition, such techniques could be utilized to study the intraspecific genetic diversity in tick populations. In this study, the genetic diversity of four H. dromedarii populations was investigated using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). The results showed that both of the aforementioned techniques produced similar grouping patterns. Moreover, they revealed that the four tick populations had high levels of genetic similarity. However, one population was slightly different from the three other populations. The current study demonstrated that H. dromedarii ticks in the UAE are very similar at the genetic level and that investigating more locations and screening larger numbers of ticks could reveal larger genetic differences.

Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants

It is commonly difficult to extract and amplify DNA from herbarium samples as they are old and pr... more It is commonly difficult to extract and amplify DNA from herbarium samples as they are old and preserved using different compounds. In addition, such samples are subjected to the accumulation of intrinsically produced plant substances over long periods (up to hundreds of years). DNA extraction from desert flora may pause added difficulties as many contain high levels of secondary metabolites. Herbarium samples from the Biology Department (UAE University) plant collection and fresh plant samples, collected from around Al-Ain (UAE), were used in this study. The three barcode loci for the coding genes matK, rbcL and rpoC1-were amplified. Our results showed that , , and were amplified using all three primers for both fresh and herbaium samples. Both fresh and herbarium samples of , however, were not amplified at all, using the three primers. Herbarium samples from , , and were not amplified with any of the three primers. For fresh samples 90, 90 and 80% of the samples were amplified using matK, rbcL and rpoC1, respectively. In short, fresh samples were significantly better amplified than those from herbarium sources, using the three primers. Both fresh and herbarium samples from one species (), however, were not successfully amplified. It is also concluded that the rbcL regions showed real potentials to distinguish the UAE species under investigation into the appropriate family and genus.

Journal of Entomological and Acarological Research, 2016

The citrus leaf miner, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lep., Gracillariidae... more The citrus leaf miner, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lep., Gracillariidae), is one of the most destructive pest of citrus and related Rutaceae and ornamental plants in Iran. Larvae damage leaves by creating serpentine feeding mines, which have been lead to reduce yield. Resistance and toxicity problems derived from synthetic insecticides have made it necessary to find more effective and healthier alternatives; therefore, bio-insecticides (i.e., Bacillus thuringiensis) are becoming an important component in plant protection. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of B. thuringiensis against P. citrella. Eight B. thuringiensis concentrations were used against P. citrella L3 on orange and mortality was recorded at 1, 4, 7 and 10 days after spraying. The results showed that B. thuringiensis signifi...

Research Journal of Microbiology, 2006

Plastic wastes are considered to be severe environmental contaminants causing waste disposal prob... more Plastic wastes are considered to be severe environmental contaminants causing waste disposal problems. Widespread use of biodegradable plastics is one of the solutions, but it is limited by a high production cost. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) protocol was developed for the specific detection and isolation of full-length gene coding for polyhydroxybutyrate. PCR strategy using PHB primers resulted in the amplification of DNA fragments with the expected size from all isolated bacteria. PHB synthase gene was cloned directly from Aeromonas hydrophila genome for the first time from this bacteria. The cloned fragment was named phbC Ah. This fragment was partially sequenced and open reading frame was found representing the PHB synthase gene. The nucleotide sequence of phbC Ah gene exhibits similarity to Caulobacter crescentus phbC (40.3%), Pseudomonas oleovorans phbC (34.3%), and Rhodobacter sphaeroides phbC (40.6 %).

Acrylamide is present as a contaminant in heated food products, predominantly from the precursor ... more Acrylamide is present as a contaminant in heated food products, predominantly from the precursor asparagine. Nonanchored inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) are arbitrary multiloci markers produced by PCR amplification with a microsatellite primer. In order to assess the feasibility of microsatellite primers as markers for DNA damage, the study was conducted on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) exposed to different concentrations of acrylamide. Polymorphisms were abundant among plant samples treated with acrylamide in comparison to control (untreated one) tested with 4-tri-nucleotide, 2 tetra-nucleotide, and 3-dinucelotide primers. The primer (CCG)4 was the best tested primer to generate polymorphism between the DNA of plants treated or not by acrylamide. Polymorphisms became evident as the presence and absence of DNA fragments in treated samples compared with the untreated one. The highest number of DNA variation on ISSR patterns was observed at the micromollar concentrations of acrylamide. Acrylamide was able to induce DNA damage in non concentration-dependent manner with effectiveness at micromollar concentrations. This study demonstrated that ISSR markers can be highly reliable for identification of DNA damage induced by acrylamide.

International Journal of Agriculture and Biology

Phoresy is a relationship between two different species of organisms in which the larger, or host... more Phoresy is a relationship between two different species of organisms in which the larger, or host, organism transports a smaller organism, the guest. The purpose of this research was to identify phoretic mites associated with Oryctes agamemnon Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and to provide a genetic profile using randomly amplified polymorphic DNApolymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). The Oryctes agamemnon beetle is one of the major pests of date palm trees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Based on traditional taxonomy, the collected phoretic mites belonged to the family Acaridae and the genus Sancassania. The molecular technique, RAPD-PCR, was employed to make a genetic profile of this phoretic mite. Nine random primers were used. The reaction products were developed with agarose gel electrophoresis. The total number of bands produced by the nine primers was 57. Each primer produced many bands of which few were intense and distinguished bands. The current study is the first record documenting the presence of Sancassania sp. in UAE and adds these mites to the list of species biodiversity.

Toxoplasma gondii isolates are categorized into three major genotypes I, II, III which are remark... more Toxoplasma gondii isolates are categorized into three major genotypes I, II, III which are remarkably different in severity and geographical distribution. Exposure of camels to toxoplasmosis is mainly through ingesting the oocysts from the environment and therefore genotyping of T. gondii in camels is a good indicator of prevalent genotypes of T. gondii in their environment. Corresponding meat and blood samples were collected from AlKhazna Tannery in Abu Dhabi from 58 camels. Serological diagnosis was done using the modified agglutination test (MAT) and P30 ELISA, DNA extraction from meat of serologically positive camels and genotyping of isolates was done by nested PCR at the SAG2 locus followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Thirteen sera samples were found positive in both serological tests, whereas 8 only by MAT and 3 only by P30 ELISA. Therefore, the toxoplasma gondii ser-positive rate among slaughtered camels from Abu Dhabi ranged between 22.4 to 41.4%. Su...

American Journal of Plant Sciences, 2012

Ricinus communis have attracted considerable attention because of its specific industrial and pha... more Ricinus communis have attracted considerable attention because of its specific industrial and pharmacological activities. DNA barcodes can be used as reliable tools to facilitate the identification of medicinal plants for the safe use, quality control and forensic investigation. In this study, the differential identification of eight accessions of R. communis was investigated through DNA sequence analysis of two candidate DNA barcodes. The nucleotide sequence of internal transcribed spacers (ITS2) and chloroplast maturase gene (matK) have been determined to construct the phylogenetic tree. The phylogenetic relationships of accessions based on the nrITS2 region and partial matK region showed that all accessions in this study were related to three geographical origins. Based on sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses we concluded that the ITS2 sequences can distinguish R. communis accessions from different geographical distributions.

Florida Entomologist, 2015

Rickettsiosis and theileriosis can cause mortalities in camel populations. This study was conduct... more Rickettsiosis and theileriosis can cause mortalities in camel populations. This study was conducted to achieve 2 objectives: (1) to detect the presence of SFG Rickettsia sp. and Theileria sp. in Hyalomma dromedarii Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks and (2) to determine their prevalence in the tick population on the sampled camel farms in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Camel ticks (H. dromedarii) were collected from a total of 625 one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in 22 sampling locations in Al-Ain, UAE. Tick samples were analyzed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). An SFG Rickettsia sp., which was 99% similar to Candidatus 'Rickettsia andeanae' and Rickettsia endosymbionts, was detected only in 2011 and its prevalence in the sampled ticks was 1.12%, while Theileria annulata was detected in both years with a prevalence of 2.3% and 1.60%, respectively. Additionally, T. annulata was present in all of the sampling zones (east, west, north, and south) of the study area, whereas SFG Rickettsia sp. was limited to 2 zones only (east and south). The geographic distributions of SFG Rickettsia sp. and T. annulata showed no overlap throughout the entire study area except in one location in which both of the disease agents were present. This study is the first published record on the presence of SFG Rickettsia sp. and T. annulata in camel ticks in the UAE. In addition, the current study should serve as a foundation for more studies leading to a better understanding of the reservoir potential of camels and the risk posed by these 2 disease agents to camels and other livestock.

Toxicology in vitro : an international journal published in association with BIBRA, 2005

Genotoxicity of the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and a commercially-used derivative, 2,... more Genotoxicity of the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and a commercially-used derivative, 2,4-D dimethylamine salt (2,4-D DMA), was evaluated in CHO cells using SCE and single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assays. Log-phase cells were treated with 2.0-10.0 microg/ml of herbicides and harvested 24 and 36 h later for SCE analysis. Both agents induced significant dose-dependent increases in SCE, regardless of the harvesting time (2,4-D: r=0.98 and r=0.88, P<0.01, for 24 and 36 h harvesting times; 2,4-D DMA: r=0.97 and r=0.88, P<0.01, for 24 and 36 h harvesting times). Neither test compound altered cell-cycle progression or proliferative replication index (P>0.05), but the higher doses of both compounds reduced the mitotic index of cultures harvested at 24 and 36 h (P<0.05). A 90-min treatment with 2.0-10.0 microg/ml 2,4-D and 2,4-D DMA produced dose-dependent increases in the frequency of DNA-strand breaks detected in the SCGE assay, both in cultures harvested immedi...