Twenty species representing five genera of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were isolated from twenty-four soil samples of the rhizosphere of the family Gramineae in Paekryung and Daecheong islands. A few species such as Glomus invermaius, G. marcrocapus var. marcrocarpus and Scutellospora coralloidea were recorded for the first time in Korea. The number of spores per 10g of soil was in the range of 8~337 in Paekryung and 16~349 in Daecheong island, respectively. The number of species per 10g of soil was 2~8 species in Paekryung and 2~7 species in Daecheong, respectively. Among them, G. macrocarpus var. macrocarpus was the most abundant species in both islands. The species diversity and evenness were almost similar in Paekryung and Daecheong Islands. Based on the host plants in two islands, the species diversity showed the highest value of 1.63 in Ischaemum crassipes, whereas the eveuness of species showed the lowest value of 0.35 in Eragrostis ferraginea.
Eragrostis ; Fungi* ; Humans ; Islands* ; Korea ; Poaceae ; Rhizosphere ; Soil ; Spores

PURPOSE: Various plants, herbal medicines, and marine foodstuffs have been used in kimchi preparation to improve its overall quality. Teff, which is rich in minerals and starches, facilitates stable blood glucose levels and is well-suited for use in gluten-free products; hence, it can be used to reinforce the mineral composition of kimchi. In this study, we probed the antioxidant activities of hydrolysates prepared by treatment of brown teff with three proteases under different conditions. METHODS: The mineral composition of brown teff was determined by inductively coupled plasma spectrophotometry-mass spectrometry, and we established optimal hydrolysis conditions by determining the total phenol and flavonoid contents of teff hydrolysates obtained using three different proteases (protamax, flavourzyme, and alcalase), two different protease concentrations (1 and 3 wt%), and three different incubation times (1, 2, and 4 h). The antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates was further investigated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and ferrous reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. RESULTS: Brown teff was rich in I, K, Mg, and Ca, and the highest total phenol content (24.16 µg/mL), total flavonoid content (69.08 µg/mL), and TAC were obtained for 1 wt% protamax treatment. However, the highest DPPH scavenging activity and FRAP values were observed for hydrolysates produced by alcalase and flavourzyme treatments, respectively. CONCLUSION: Treatment of brown teff with proteases affords hydrolysates with significantly increased antioxidant activities and high total phenol and flavonoid contents, and these antioxidant activities of teff hydrolysates have the potential to enhance the quality and functionality of kimchi in future applications.
Blood Glucose ; Eragrostis* ; Hydrolysis ; Minerals ; Miners ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Phenol ; Plasma ; Spectrum Analysis ; Starch ; Subtilisins

PURPOSE: Beyond the limited scope of non-specific polyclonal regulatory T cell (Treg)-based immunotherapy, which depends largely on serendipity, the present study explored a target Treg subset appropriate for the delivery of a novel epitope spreader Pep19 antigen as part of a sophisticated form of immunotherapy with defined antigen specificity that induces immune tolerance. METHODS: Human polyclonal CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127(lo−) Tregs (127-Tregs) and naïve CD4⁺CD25⁺CD45RA⁺ Tregs (45RA-Tregs) were isolated and were stimulated with target peptide 19 (Pep19)-pulsed dendritic cells in a tolerogenic milieu followed by ex vivo expansion. Low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) and rapamycin were added to selectively exclude the outgrowth of contaminating effector T cells (Teffs). The following parameters were investigated in the expanded antigen-specific Tregs: the distinct expression of the immunosuppressive Treg marker Foxp3, epigenetic stability (demethylation in the Treg-specific demethylated region), the suppression of Teffs, expression of the homing receptors CD62L/CCR7, and CD95L-mediated apoptosis. The expanded Tregs were adoptively transferred into an NOD/scid/IL-2Rγ(−/−) mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis. RESULTS: Epitope-spreader Pep19 targeting by 45RA-Tregs led to an outstanding in vitro suppressive T cell fate characterized by robust ex vivo expansion, the salient expression of Foxp3, high epigenetic stability, enhanced T cell suppression, modest expression of CD62L/CCR7, and higher resistance to CD95L-mediated apoptosis. After adoptive transfer, the distinct fate of these T cells demonstrated a potent in vivo immunotherapeutic capability, as indicated by the complete elimination of footpad swelling, prolonged survival, minimal histopathological changes, and preferential localization of CD4⁺CD25⁺ Tregs at the articular joints in a mechanistic and orchestrated way. CONCLUSIONS: We propose human naïve CD4⁺CD25⁺CD45RA⁺ Tregs and the epitope spreader Pep19 as cellular and molecular targets for a novel antigen-specific Treg-based vaccination against collagen-induced arthritis.
Adoptive Transfer ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Arthritis, Experimental ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Dendritic Cells ; Epigenomics ; Eragrostis ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; Humans* ; Immune Tolerance ; Immunotherapy* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukin-2 ; Joints ; Mice ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sirolimus ; T-Lymphocytes ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory* ; Vaccination