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Nguyen MQ, Kim DH, Shim HJ, Ta HKK, Vu TL, Nguyen TKO, Lim JC, Choe H. Novel Anti-Mesothelin Nanobodies and Recombinant Immunotoxins with Pseudomonas Exotoxin Catalytic Domain for Cancer Therapeutics. Mol Cells 2023; 46:764-777. [PMID: 38052492 PMCID: PMC10701305 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2023.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombinant immunotoxins (RITs) are fusion proteins consisting of a targeting domain linked to a toxin, offering a highly specific therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, we engineered and characterized RITs aimed at mesothelin, a cell surface glycoprotein overexpressed in various malignancies. Through an extensive screening of a large nanobody library, four mesothelin-specific nanobodies were selected and genetically fused to a truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE24B). Various optimizations, including the incorporation of furin cleavage sites, maltose-binding protein tags, and tobacco etch virus protease cleavage sites, were implemented to improve protein expression, solubility, and purification. The RITs were successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli, achieving high solubility and purity post-purification. In vitro cytotoxicity assays on gastric carcinoma cell lines NCI-N87 and AGS revealed that Meso(Nb2)-PE24B demonstrated the highest cytotoxic efficacy, warranting further characterization. This RIT also displayed selective binding to human and monkey mesothelins but not to mouse mesothelin. The competitive binding assays between different RIT constructs revealed significant alterations in IC50 values, emphasizing the importance of nanobody specificity. Finally, a modification in the endoplasmic reticulum retention signal at the C-terminus further augmented its cytotoxic activity. Our findings offer valuable insights into the design and optimization of RITs, showcasing the potential of Meso(Nb2)-PE24B as a promising therapeutic candidate for targeted cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh Quan Nguyen
- Department of Physiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea
| | | | | | - Huynh Kim Khanh Ta
- Department of Physiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea
| | - Thi Luong Vu
- Department of Physiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea
| | - Thi Kieu Oanh Nguyen
- Department of Physiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea
| | | | - Han Choe
- Department of Physiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea
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Jang J, Nguyen MQ, Park S, Ryu D, Park H, Lee G, Kim CJ, Jang YJ, Choe H. Crotamine-based recombinant immunotoxin targeting HER2 for enhanced cancer cell specificity and cytotoxicity. Toxicon 2023; 230:107157. [PMID: 37196787 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Crotamine, one of the major toxins present in the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, exhibits potent cytotoxic properties and has been suggested for cancer therapy applications. However, its selectivity for cancer cells needs to be improved. This study designed and produced a novel recombinant immunotoxin, HER2(scFv)-CRT, composed of crotamine and single-chain Fv (scFv) derived from trastuzumab targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). The recombinant immunotoxin was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using various chromatographic techniques. The cytotoxicity of HER2(scFv)-CRT was assessed in three breast cancer cell lines, demonstrating enhanced specificity and toxicity in HER2-expressing cells. These findings suggest that the crotamine-based recombinant immunotoxin has the potential to expand the repertoire of recombinant immunotoxin applications in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaepyeong Jang
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Minh Quan Nguyen
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Sangsu Park
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Dayoung Ryu
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Hyeseon Park
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Gunsup Lee
- R&D Center, Fatiabgen Co. Ltd., Seoul, 05855, South Korea
| | - Chong Jai Kim
- Department of Pathology, Asan-Minnesota Institute for Innovating Transplantation, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Yeon Jin Jang
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea
| | - Han Choe
- Department of Physiology, Bio-Medical Institute of Technology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, 05505, South Korea.
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Rahmani F, Imani Fooladi AA, Ajoudanifar H, Soleimani NA. In silico and experimental methods for designing a potent anticancer arazyme-herceptin fusion protein in HER2-positive breast cancer. J Mol Model 2023; 29:160. [PMID: 37103612 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-023-05562-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of malignancies among women worldwide and is associated with serious physical and mental consequences. Current chemotherapies may lack successful outcomes; thus, the development of targeted recombinant immunotoxins is plausible. The predicted B cell and T cell epitopes of arazyme of the fusion protein are able to elicit immune response. The results of codon adaptation tool of herceptin-arazyme have improved from 0.4 to 1. The in silico immune simulation results showed significant response for immune cells. In conclusion, our findings show that the known multi-epitope fusion protein may activate humoral and cellular immune responses and maybe a possible candidate for breast cancer treatment. METHODS In this study, the selected monoclonal antibody constituting herceptin and the bacterial metalloprotease, arazyme, was used with different peptide linkers to design a novel fusion protein to predict different B cell and T cell epitopes by the means of the relevant databases. Modeler 10.1 and I-TASSER online server were used to predict and validate the 3D structure and then docked to HER2-receptor using HADDOCK2.4 web server. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the arazyme-linker-herceptin-HER2 complex were performed by GROMACS 2019.6 software. The sequence of arazyme-herceptin was optimized for the expression in prokaryotic host using online servers and cloned into pET-28a plasmid. The recombinant pET28a was transferred into the Escherichia coli BL21DE3. Expression and binding affinity of arazyme-herceptin and arazyme to human breast cancer cell lines (SK-BR-3/HER2 + and MDA-MB-468/HER2 -) were validated by the SDS-PAGE and cell‑ELISA, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farideh Rahmani
- Department of Microbiology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Imani Fooladi
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hatef Ajoudanifar
- Department of Microbiology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran
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Ma D, Yang Q, Yin K, Shi P, Chen X, Dong T, Shang X, Tian X. Analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of triple-positive breast cancer and HER2-positive breast cancer-A retrospective study. Front Oncol 2023; 12:999894. [PMID: 36727058 PMCID: PMC9885258 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.999894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Adjuvant chemotherapy and targeted therapy have become standard postoperative therapeutic modalities for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer(HER2-positive,HR-negative), including triple-positive breast cancer(HER2-positive,HR-positive). However, these two types of breast cancer differ in terms of pathogenesis. This article analyzes these two types of breast cancer by comparing their prognoses. Methods The clinicopathological characteristics of 135 patients, including 60 patients with triple-positive breast cancer and 75 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, were analyzed to compare the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of the two groups over a 5-year period. A multifactorial Cox risk model was constructed by grouping age, menstrual status, maximum tumor diameter, number of lymph node metastases, pathological staging, and Ki-67 staining results. All statistical data were analyzed in detail using SPSS25.0 statistical software. Results The 5-year OS rates of patients with breast cancer in the triple-positive and HER2-positive groups were 96.7% and 82.7%, respectively, and the 5-year DFS rates were 90% and 73.3%, respectively. The Cox results revealed that molecular staging was an independent factor affecting recurrent metastasis and survival of breast cancer patients (hazard ratio [HR] =2.199, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.296-8.266; HR = 9.994, 95% CI, 2.019-49.465). Conclusion The 5-year DFS and OS rates were significantly better in the triple-positive group than in the HER2-positive group. Subgroups received different prognosis for different chemotherapy regimens. Breast cancer patients should be treated according to the risk of recurrence with symptomatic treatment and precise regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxu Ma
- Department of Breast and Thyroid surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Qing Yang
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Ke Yin
- Department of Pathology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Peng Shi
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Tianyi Dong
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Xingchen Shang
- Department of Breast and Thyroid surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China,Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China,*Correspondence: Xingsong Tian, ; Xingchen Shang,
| | - Xingsong Tian
- Department of Breast and Thyroid surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China,Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China,*Correspondence: Xingsong Tian, ; Xingchen Shang,
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Wei M, Chen A, Zhang J, Ren Y. Novel Oxygen-Dependent Degradable Immunotoxin Regulated by the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Reduces Nonspecific Cytotoxicity. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:90-100. [PMID: 36305716 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The use of bacterial toxins as antitumor agents has received considerable attention. Immunotoxins based on antigen recognition of single-chain antibodies have been widely explored for cancer therapy. Despite their impressive killing effect on tumor cells, immunotoxins still display unspecific toxicity with undesired side effects. High levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) are well-known indicators of hypoxia in cancer cells. In this study, different linkers were employed to fuse the immunotoxin DAB389-4D5 scFv (DS) with the oxygen-dependent degradation domain (ODDD) of HIF-1α, a domain selectively facilitating the accumulation of HIF-1α under hypoxia, to construct the oxygen-dependent degradable immunotoxin DS-ODDD (DSO). The engineered fusion protein DSO-2 containing a linker (G4S)3 possesses the best killing effect on cancer cells under hypoxia and displayed considerably reduced nonspecific toxicity to normal cells under normoxic conditions. Flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and immunoblot analyses demonstrated that DSO-2 was degraded via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway regulated by the oxygen-sensitive mechanism. Western blot analysis indicated that the degradation of DSO-2 significantly decreased the activation of apoptosis-related molecules in normal cells. The engineered immunotoxin with oxygen-sensing properties developed herein is a potential therapeutic agent for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, New World Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Anxiang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, New World Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, New World Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yuhong Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, New World Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
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Catalytic Antibodies: Design, Expression, and Their Applications in Medicine. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2023; 195:1514-1540. [PMID: 36222989 PMCID: PMC9554387 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-022-04183-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Catalytic antibodies made it feasible to develop new catalysts, which had previously been the subject of research. Scientists have discovered natural antibodies that can hydrolyze substrates such as nucleic acids, proteins, and polysaccharides during decades of research, as well as several ways of producing antibodies with specialized characteristics and catalytic functions. These antibodies are widely used in chemistry, biology, and medicine. Catalytic antibodies can continue to play a role and even fully prevent the emergence of autoimmune disorders, especially in the field of infection and immunity, where the process of its occurrence and development often takes a long time. In this work, the development, design and evolution methodologies, and the expression systems and applications of catalytic antibodies, are discussed. Trial registration: not applicable.
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Li L, Wu S, Si Y, Li H, Yin X, Peng D. Single-chain fragment variable produced by phage display technology: Construction, selection, mutation, expression, and recent applications in food safety. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 2022; 21:4354-4377. [PMID: 35904244 DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.13018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Immunoassays are reliable, efficient, and accurate methods for the analysis of small-molecule harmful substances (such as pesticides, veterinary drugs, and biological toxins) that may be present in food. However, traditional polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies are limited by animal hosts and hinder further development of immunoassays. With the gradual application of phage display technology as an efficient in vitro selection technology, the single-chain fragment variable (scFv) now provides an exciting alternative to traditional antibodies. Efficiently constructed scFv source libraries and specifically designed biopanning schemes can now yield scFvs possessing specific recognition capabilities. A rational mutation strategy further enhances the affinity of scFv, and allows it to reach a level that cannot be achieved by immunization. Finally, appropriate prokaryotic expression measures ensure stable and efficient production of scFv. Therefore, when developing excellent scFvs, it is necessary to focus on three key aspects of this process that include screening, mutation, and expression. In this review, we analyze in detail the preparation and affinity improvement process for scFv and provide insights into the research progress and development trend of scFv-based immunoassay methods for monitoring small-molecule harmful substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Li
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues (HZAU) and MOA Key Laboratory for the Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shuangmin Wu
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues (HZAU) and MOA Key Laboratory for the Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yu Si
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues (HZAU) and MOA Key Laboratory for the Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Huaming Li
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues (HZAU) and MOA Key Laboratory for the Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiaoyang Yin
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues (HZAU) and MOA Key Laboratory for the Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dapeng Peng
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues (HZAU) and MOA Key Laboratory for the Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Designing a Humanized Immunotoxin Based on HER2 Specific scFv and DFF40 Toxin Against Breast Cancer: An In-Silico Study. Int J Pept Res Ther 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-022-10443-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Lu F, Zhang F, Qian J, Huang T, Chen L, Huang Y, Wang B, Cui L, Guo S. Preparation and application of a specific single-chain variable fragment against artemether. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2022; 220:115020. [PMID: 36049377 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2022.115020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Artemether, an artemisinin derivative, is a component of the commonly used artemisinin-based combination therapy, artemether-lumefantrine. In this study, we cloned the VH and VL genes of a cell line (mAb 2G12E1) producing a monoclonal antibody specific to artemether, and used to construct a recombinant DNA of single-chain variable fragment (scFv). The scFv was constructed into prokaryotic expression vectors pET32a (+), pET22b (+), pGEX-2T, and pMAL-p5x, respectively. However, only the pMAL-p5x/scFv could be induced to express soluble scFv with comparable sensitivity and specificity to that of mAb 2G12E1. Based on the anti-artemether scFv, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) was developed. The 50% of inhibition concentration (IC50) value and the working range based on IC20 to IC80 were 4.33 ng mL-1 and 1.05-22.65 ng mL-1, respectively. The artemether content in different drugs were determined by the developed icELISA, and the results were consistent to those determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The anti-artemether scFv prepared in the current study could be a valuable genetically engineered antibody applied for artemether monitoring and specific binding mechanism studying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Lu
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, 529020 Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
| | - Fa Zhang
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, 529020 Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jingqi Qian
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Huang
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, 529020 Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
| | - Liping Chen
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, 529020 Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yilin Huang
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, 529020 Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
| | - Baomin Wang
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China.
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 304, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Suqin Guo
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, 529020 Jiangmen, Guangdong, China.
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