Browsing by Author "Mwita, Liberata"

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    A common molecular signature of patients with sickle cell disease revealed by microarray meta-analysis and a genome-wide association study
    (PLoS ONE, 2018) Hamda, Cherif B; Sangeda, Raphael; Mwita, Liberata; Meintjes, Ayton; Nkya, Siana; Panji, Sumir; Mulder, Nicola; Guizani-Tabbane, Lamia; Benkahla, Alia; Makani, Julie; Ghedira, Kais
    A chronic inflammatory state to a large extent explains sickle cell disease (SCD) pathophysiology. Nonetheless, the principal dysregulated factors affecting this major pathway and their mechanisms of action still have to be fully identified and elucidated. Integrating gene expression and genome-wide association study (GWAS) data analysis represents a novel approach to refining the identification of key mediators and functions in complex diseases. Here, we performed gene expression meta-analysis of five independent publicly available microarray datasets related to homozygous SS patients with SCD to identify a consensus SCD transcriptomic profile. The meta-analysis conducted using the MetaDE R package based on combining p values (maxP approach) identified 335 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; 224 upregulated and 111 downregulated). Functional gene set enrichment revealed the importance of several metabolic pathways, of innate immune responses, erythrocyte development, and hemostasis pathways. Advanced analyses of GWAS data generated within the framework of this study by means of the atSNP R package and SIFT tool identified 60 regulatory single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rSNPs) occurring in the promoter of 20 DEGs and a deleterious SNP, affecting CAMKK2 protein function. This novel database of candidate genes, transcription factors, and rSNPs associated with SCD provides new markers that may help to identify new therapeutic targets.
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    Cultivation of Tanzanian Coprinus Cinereus (Sisal Compost Mushroom) on Three Non-Composted Sisal Waste Substrates Supplemented With Chicken Manure at Various Rates
    (2011) Mwita, Liberata; Lyantagaye, Sylvester L.; Mshandete, Anthony M.
    Coprinus cinereus is a Tanzanian wild edible mushroom whose cultivation in the laboratory was performed in solid-state fermentation bioreactors using sisal decortication wastes namely; sisal dusts, sisal fibres and sisal leaves as basal substrates supplemented with chicken manure at various rates. Bioreactors containing 450 g wet weight of the three sisal wastes substrates each was supplemented with dry chicken manure at 0% (un-supplemented control), 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% of substrate dry weight. The effect of the test sisal waste substrates and chicken manure of various supplementation rates were evaluated by mushroom yield, (g fresh mushroom/kg moist substrate) and its biological efficiency, B.E. (relationship between fresh mushroom weight and dry substrate weight as percentage) and mushroom size (a ratio of total weight of fresh mushroom and total number of mushrooms). Each, sisal waste substrate and chicken manure supplement at various rates showed variable impact on mushroom yield, productivity and size. The overall best results of mushroom production were obtained in sisal dust at 25% chicken manure in terms of mushroom yield 381 g fresh mushrooms/kg moist substrate weight and its B.E. of 112% while mushroom size best results of 1.64 was obtained at 15% manure. In conclusion, results suggest that chicken manure from free-range chicken may play an important role on increasing the yield and productivity of Coprinus cinereus on sisal waste substrates under the conditions investigated.