Paintings in ancient Egyptian tombs often suffer colour changes due to microbial growth and colonization. Streptomyces strains were isolated from mural paintings of Tell Basta and Tanis tombs (East of Nile Delta, Egypt) and were identified using biochemical and molecular methods. The16S rDNA sequences data indicated that isolated strains were closely related to S. coelicolor, S. albidofuscus, S. ambofaciens, S. canarius, S. parvullus, S. corchorusii, S. albidofuscus and S. nigrifaciens. It could be shown that Streptomyces strains are involved on a large scale in the colour changes of paintings and stone support by producing a wide range of metabolites such as acids (oxalic, citric and sulphuric acids), biopigments of melanin, carotenoids, and hydrogen sulphide.

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Fresh semen from fifty bulls was evaluated for ejaculate volume, individual motility, concentration, lives sperm and abnormalities as well as acrosome integrity. Bulls were classified according to semen motility into two groups; good and poor. DNA was extracted from semen of both groups, then the PCR followed by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) techniques were performed for mutation detection in gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) gene through multiple sequence alignment. The results showed that the percentages of sperm motility, sperm concentration and live sperm, were significantly higher in good than poor semen quality bulls. However, semen volume, percentage of acrosome integrity and abnormalities did not differ between good and poor. The PCR amplification of 240-bp fragment and the results of SSCP appeared a genetic polymorphism with two patterns. Pattern I was seen in all good bulls, with incidence of 100%. Pattern II appeared only in poor semen quality bulls with a frequency of 31.25%. The sequence analysis of the PCR product for the two patterns showed two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as a transversion base substitution mutation at positions 20 (T/A) and 193 (A/T). The GnRHR gene could be used as a genetic marker related to semen quality in buffalo due to the good semen bulls had a unique pattern.

HIS STUDY aimed to evaluate the sperm characteristics in buffalo characteristics in buffalo bulls and to screen the genetic genetic polymorphisms in PIT-1 gene as bases for selection of bulls with good breeding value. The study was performed on 60 buffalo bulls aged 2-8 years. The animals were divided into three groups according to the age. The first group were between 2 to <3 years (n= 35). The second group were between 3 to <5 years (n=14). The third group were between 5 to <8 years (n=11).Three semen collections were obtained from each animal at 15-day intervals and evaluated for volume, individual motility, live sperm and chromatin integrity %. The semen samples were stored at 20 °C until DNA extraction then polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA amplification were carried out. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used for genotyping of pituitary-specific transcription factor gene using HinfI-RFLP. The results showed that, ejaculate volume, individual motility and live sperm % were significantly lower in old than adult and young buffalo bulls. While chromatin damage percentage had no significant difference among groups. All buffalo bulls were genotyped as BB with the predominance of B allele where PCR 451 bp fragment was digested into two fragments 244 and 207 bp. It may be concluded that age had adverse effect on semen quality. M onomorphic pattern of the amplicon 451 bp in PIT-1HinfI locus in exon 6 was fixed in Egyptian buffalo with the predominance of B allele and BB genotype in a high frequency (100%).

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