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Graves SS, Parker MH, Storb R. Animal Models for Preclinical Development of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. ILAR J 2018; 59:263-275. [PMID: 30010833 PMCID: PMC6808062 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ily006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Since its inception in the 1950s, hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has become a highly effective clinical treatment for malignant and nonmalignant hematological disorders. This milestone in cancer therapy was only possible through decades of intensive research using murine and canine animal models that overcame what appeared in the early days to be insurmountable obstacles. Conditioning protocols for tumor ablation and immunosuppression of the recipient using irradiation and chemotherapeutic drugs were developed in mouse and dog models as well as postgrafting immunosuppression methods essential for dependable donor cell engraftment. The random-bred canine was particularly important in defining the role of histocompatibility barriers and the development of the nonmyeloablative transplantation procedure, making HCT available to elderly patients with comorbidities. Two complications limit the success of HCT: disease relapse and graft versus host disease. Studies in both mice and dogs have made significant progress toward reducing and to some degree eliminating patient morbidity and mortality associated with both disease relapse and graft versus host disease. However, more investigation is needed to make HCT more effective, safer, and available as a treatment modality for other non-life-threatening diseases such as autoimmune disorders. Here, we focus our review on the contributions made by both the murine and canine models for the successful past and future development of HCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott S Graves
- Clinical Research Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington
| | - Maura H Parker
- Clinical Research Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington
| | - Rainer Storb
- Clinical Research Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington in Seattle, Washington
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Chung YJ, Fry TJ, Aplan PD. Myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation improves survival but is not curative in a pre-clinical model of myelodysplastic syndrome. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185219. [PMID: 28953912 PMCID: PMC5617185 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (A-HSCT) remains the only curative option for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We used the NUP98-HOXD13 (NHD13) murine model for MDS to study HSCT in a pre-clinical setting. NHD13 recipients transplanted with syngeneic bone marrow (S-HSCT) following myeloablative irradiation showed disease remission, with normalization of peripheral blood parameters and marked decrease in circulating leukocytes derived from the MDS clone. Despite the disease remission and improved survival compared to non-transplanted NHD13 controls, all mice eventually relapsed, indicating persistence of a long-lived radio-resistant MDS clone. In an effort to induce a graft versus leukemia (GVL) effect, A-HSCT with donor bone marrow that was mismatched at minor histocompatibility loci was compared to S-HSCT. Although recipients in the A-HSCT showed a lower early relapse rate than in S-HSCT, all mice in both groups eventually relapsed and died by 54 weeks post-transplant. To obtain a more significant GVL effect, donor splenocytes containing reactive T-cells were transplanted with allogeneic bone marrow. Although the relapse rate was only 20% at post-transplantation week 38, suggesting a GVL effect, this was accompanied by a severe graft versus host disease (GVHD) Taken together, these findings indicate that a myeloablative dose of ionizing radiation is insufficient to eradicate the MDS initiating cell, and that transplantation of donor splenocytes leads to decreased relapse rates, at the cost of severe GVHD. We suggest that NHD13 mice represent a feasible pre-clinical model for the study of HSCT for MDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Jo Chung
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Terry J. Fry
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Peter D. Aplan
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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3
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Hsu YC, Mildenstein K, Hunter K, Tkachenko O, Mullen CA. Acute lymphoid leukemia cells with greater stem cell antigen-1 (Ly6a/Sca-1) expression exhibit higher levels of metalloproteinase activity and are more aggressive in vivo. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88966. [PMID: 24586463 PMCID: PMC3930640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cell antigen-1 (Ly6a/Sca-1) is a gene that is expressed in activated lymphocytes, hematopoietic stem cells and stem cells of a variety of tissues in mice. Despite decades of study its functions remain poorly defined. These studies explored the impact of expression of this stem cell associated gene in acute lymphoid leukemia. Higher levels of Ly6a/Sca-1 expression led to more aggressive leukemia growth in vivo and earlier death of hosts. Leukemias expressing higher levels of Ly6a/Sca-1 exhibited higher levels of matrix metalloproteinases. The results suggest the hypothesis that the more aggressive behavior of Ly6a/Sca-1 expressing leukemias is due at least in part to greater capacity to degrade microenvironmental stroma and invade tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chiao Hsu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Kurt Mildenstein
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Kordell Hunter
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Olena Tkachenko
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Craig A. Mullen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Kwun J, Malarkannan S, Burlingham WJ, Knechtle SJ. Primary vascularization of the graft determines the immunodominance of murine minor H antigens during organ transplantation. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:3997-4006. [PMID: 21900176 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1003918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Grafts can be rejected even when matched for MHC because of differences in the minor histocompatibility Ags (mH-Ags). H4- and H60-derived epitopes are known as immunodominant mH-Ags in H2(b)-compatible BALB.B to C57BL/6 transplantation settings. Although multiple explanations have been provided to explain immunodominance of Ags, the role of vascularization of the graft is yet to be determined. In this study, we used heart (vascularized) and skin (nonvascularized) transplantations to determine the role of primary vascularization of the graft. A higher IFN-γ response toward H60 peptide occurs in heart recipients. In contrast, a higher IFN-γ response was generated against H4 peptide in skin transplant recipients. Peptide-loaded tetramer staining revealed a distinct antigenic hierarchy between heart and skin transplantation: H60-specific CD8(+) T cells were the most abundant after heart transplantation, whereas H4-specific CD8(+) T cells were more abundant after skin graft. Neither the tissue-specific distribution of mH-Ags nor the draining lymph node-derived dendritic cells correlated with the observed immunodominance. Interestingly, non-primarily vascularized cardiac allografts mimicked skin grafts in the observed immunodominance, and H60 immunodominance was observed in primarily vascularized skin grafts. However, T cell depletion from the BALB.B donor prior to cardiac allograft induces H4 immunodominance in vascularized cardiac allograft. Collectively, our data suggest that immediate transmigration of donor T cells via primary vascularization is responsible for the immunodominance of H60 mH-Ag in organ and tissue transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Kwun
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Clinical Science Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53792, USA
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Acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells that survive combination chemotherapy in vivo remain sensitive to allogeneic immune effects. Leuk Res 2010; 35:800-7. [PMID: 21074852 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2010.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2010] [Revised: 10/01/2010] [Accepted: 10/20/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is often performed for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) whose disease has relapsed after chemotherapy treatment. However, graft versus leukemia (GVL) effects in ALL are generally weak and the mechanisms of this weakness are unknown. These studies tested the hypothesis that ALL cells that have survived conventional chemotherapy in vivo acquire relative resistance to the allogeneic GVL effect. C57BL/6 mice were injected with murine pre-B ALL lines driven by human mutations and then were treated with combination chemotherapy. ALL cells surviving therapy were analysed in vitro and in vivo for acquisition of resistance to chemotherapy, radiation, cytolytic T cells, NK cells, LAK cells and cytokines. In vivo drug treatment did lead to leukemia population with more rapid proliferation and also decreased sensitivity to vincristine, doxorubicin and radiation. However, drug treatment did not produce ALL populations that were less sensitive to GVL effects in vitro or in vivo.
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Shand JC, Jansson J, Hsu YC, Campbell A, Mullen CA. Differential gene expression in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells surviving allogeneic transplant. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2010; 59:1633-44. [PMID: 20602231 PMCID: PMC11030998 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-010-0889-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2010] [Accepted: 06/18/2010] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The effectiveness of allogeneic graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) activity in control of acute lymphoblastic leukemia is generally regarded as poor. One possible factor is dynamic adaptation of the leukemia cell to the allogeneic environment. This work tested the hypothesis that the pattern of gene expression in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in an allogeneic environment would differ from that in a non-allogeneic environment. Expression microarray studies were performed in murine B lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells recovered from mice that had undergone allogeneic MHC-matched but minor histocompatibility antigen mismatched transplants. A limited number of genes were found to be differentially expressed in ALL cells surviving in the allogeneic environment. Functional analysis demonstrated that genes related to immune processes, antigen presentation, ubiquitination and GTPase function were significantly enriched. Several genes with known immune activities potentially relevant to leukemia survival (Ly6a/Sca-1, TRAIL and H2-T23) were examined in independent validation experiments. Increased expression in vivo in allogeneic hosts was observed, and could be mimicked in vitro with soluble supernatants of mixed lymphocyte reactions or interferon-gamma. The changes in gene expression were reversible when the leukemia cells were removed from the allogeneic environment. These findings suggest that acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells respond to cytokines present after allogeneic transplantation and that these changes may reduce the effectiveness of GVL activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C. Shand
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 777, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
| | - Johan Jansson
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 777, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
- School of Pure and Applied Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Yu-Chiao Hsu
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 777, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
| | - Andrew Campbell
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 777, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
| | - Craig A. Mullen
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 777, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
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Mullen CA, Campbell A, Tkachenko O, Jansson J, Hsu YC. Evidence of B cell immune responses to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in murine allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients treated with donor lymphocyte infusion and/or vaccination. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2010; 17:226-38. [PMID: 20831897 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2010.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2009] [Accepted: 08/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
These experiments explored mechanisms of control of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using a murine model of MHC-matched, minor histocompatibility antigen-mismatched transplantation. The central hypothesis examined was that addition of active vaccination against leukemia cells would substantially increase the effectiveness of allogeneic donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) against ALL present in the host after transplantation. Although vaccination did increase the magnitude of type I T cell responses against leukemia cells associated with DLI, it did not lead to substantial improvement in long-term survival. Analysis of immunologic mechanisms of leukemia progression demonstrated that the failure of vaccination was not because of antigen loss in leukemia cells. However, analysis of survival provided surprising findings that, in addition to very modest type I T cell responses, a B cell response that produced antibodies that bind leukemia cells was found in long-term survivors. The risk of death from leukemia was significantly lower in recipients that had higher levels of such antibodies. These studies raise the hypothesis that stimulation of B cell responses after transplantation may provide a novel way to enhance allogeneic graft-versus-leukemia effects associated with transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig A Mullen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.
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Lee Y, Ferrari G, Lee SC. Estimating design space available for polyepitopes through consideration of major histocompatibility complex binding motifs. Biomed Microdevices 2010; 12:207-22. [PMID: 20033850 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-009-9376-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC ) epitope presentation is needed for robust adaptive immune responses. Core peptide binding motifs for class I and class II MHC are 8-10 amino acids long, containing two or more "anchor" residues. These binding motifs define epitope anchor amino acid content and spacing, and knowledge of them has facilitated emergence of polyepitope vaccines. However, polyepitopes can exhibit "junctional epitopes" (neoepitopes interfering with vaccine function) resulting from juxtaposition of authentic epitopes. We have developed an algorithm for consideration of polyepitope sequence in light of MHC motifs to exhaustively identify all junctional-free polyepitope designs for any given set of authentic epitopes, and in so doing discovered that the number of such variants of any given polyepitope can be astronomically high. Our approach designs polyepitopes of any length, considers multiple MHC class I or class II motifs simultaneously and can be adapted to design variants of existing proteins with pre-selected epitope contents. We have also implemented the algorithm as a computer-based tool (CANVAC II), which we make available to interested parties. The vast diversity of junctional-free polyepitopes suggests that the number of potential T-helper epitope free protein variants may also be large, which may have implications for discovery of bioactive but non-immunogenic therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Lee
- College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Young FM, Campbell A, Emo KL, Jansson J, Wang PY, Jordan CT, Mullen CA. High-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells with bcr-abl and INK4A/ARF mutations retain susceptibility to alloreactive T cells. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2008; 14:622-30. [PMID: 18489987 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2008.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2007] [Accepted: 02/20/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
INK4A/ARF mutations are acquired in bcr/abl(+) lymphoid blast phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and bcr/abl(+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Donor lymphocyte infusion and graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) are generally ineffective in such ALLs, whereas GVL is highly active against bcr/abl(+) CML, which does not have a lesion in the INK4A/ARF locus. The mechanisms for the ineffectiveness of GVL are not fully known, and it is possible that intrinsic resistance of acute lymphoid leukemias to immune effectors associated with allogeneic GVL may contribute to ineffectiveness. This work tested the hypothesis that INK4A/ARF mutations that are associated with transformation of bcr/abl(+) CML to an ALL phenotype, and that are associated with increased resistance to apoptosis render ALL cells insensitive to allogeneic immune responses to minor histocompatibility antigens (mHA). Murine acute pre-B ALLs were induced by transfer of the human p210 bcr/abl gene into bone marrow of INK4A/ARF null mice. These ALL lines were then studied in a murine model of MHC-matched, mHA-mismatched allogeneic BMT. In vivo growth of these ALLs was inhibited in allogeneic transplants characterized by active allogeneic immune responses compared to their behavior in syngeneic transplants. In vitro ALLs with INK4A/ARF, p210 bcr/abl, or p190 bcr/abl mutations remained sensitive to anti-mHA cytolytic T cells. In addition, the ALLs were capable of inducing primary immune responses to mHAs in vivo. Thus, ALLs with INK4A/ARF or bcr/abl mutations are not intrinsically resistant to allogeneic T cell responses, suggesting that active immunotherapies against mHA have the potential to control such acute lymphoblastic leukemias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faith M Young
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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Natzke AM, Shaw JL, McKeller MR, Emo KL, Mullen CA. Hematopoietic stem cell recipients do not develop post-transplantation immune tolerance to antigens present on minimal residual disease. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2007; 13:34-45. [PMID: 17222751 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2006.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2006] [Accepted: 09/21/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The immune environment present after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) contributes to the control of leukemia. Our laboratory has demonstrated in a murine model that vaccination of recipients after transplantation with recipient tumor vaccines does not exacerbate graft-versus-host disease but does induce meaningful graft-versus-tumor effects. We previously demonstrated that part of the reason for the lack of graft-versus-host disease from post-transplantation vaccination is due to gradual acquisition of tolerance or unresponsiveness to recipient immunodominant minor histocompatibility antigens that are ubiquitously expressed in the recipient. However, our prior studies have not critically addressed the question of whether a similar process of acquisition of unresponsiveness to or tolerance of antigens present on minimal residual disease also occurs. The present study tested the hypothesis that unresponsiveness to antigens present on minimal residual disease present at the time of HSCT would also occur. The answer to this question would have a significant effect on the potential efficacy of post-transplantation tumor vaccines. In a murine model of major histocompatibility complex matched, minor histocompatibility antigen mismatched HSCT (C3.SW female donors and C57BL/6 female recipients), we tested whether transplant recipients would acquire unresponsiveness to antigens present on small numbers of residual leukemia/lymphoma cells. We employed a male C57BL/6 lymphoid malignancy with an immunoglobulin/c-myc oncogene in these studies using as a model of tumor-restricted antigen the well-characterized male (HY) antigen system present only on the tumor but not present as ubiquitous minor antigens in the recipient. After HSCT, recipients did not mount immune responses to the ubiquitously distributed immunodominant recipient strain H7 minor histocompatibility antigen, but did retain the capacity to mount significant T cell responses to HY antigens present on small numbers of HY+ tumor cells present at transplantation. Additional studies using small numbers of nonmalignant recipient male B cells or dendritic cells as models of minimal residual disease also demonstrated that the transplant recipients retained their capacity to mount anti-HY T cell responses. After HSCT, recipients may retain the capacity to mount effective T cell responses to antigens present on minimal residual disease and still acquire relative tolerance to ubiquitously distributed immunodominant minor antigens that are related to graft-versus-host disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Martinelli Natzke
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
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Major and minor histocompatibility antigens in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2004. [DOI: 10.1097/00075200-200403000-00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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