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Liberti J, Engel P, Cabirol A. Interplay between gut symbionts and behavioral variation in social insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 65:101233. [PMID: 39019113 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2024.101233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Social insects exhibit a high degree of intraspecific behavioral variation. Moreover, they often harbor specialized microbial communities in their gut. Recent studies suggest that these two characteristics of social insects are interlinked: insect behavioral phenotypes affect their gut microbiota composition, partly through exposure to different environments and diet, and in return, the gut microbiota has been shown to influence insect behavior. Here, we discuss the bidirectional relationship existing between intraspecific variation in gut microbiota composition and behavioral phenotypes in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanito Liberti
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Philipp Engel
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Amélie Cabirol
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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2
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Tasaki E, Yamamoto Y, Iuchi Y. Higher levels of the lipophilic antioxidants coenzyme Q 10 and vitamin E in long-lived termite queens than in short-lived workers. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:201-210. [PMID: 37279723 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Termite queens and kings live longer than nonreproductive workers. Several molecular mechanisms contributing to their long lifespan have been investigated; however, the underlying biochemical explanation remains unclear. Coenzyme Q (CoQ), a component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, plays an essential role in the lipophilic antioxidant defense system. Its beneficial effects on health and longevity have been well studied in several organisms. Herein, we demonstrated that long-lived termite queens have significantly higher levels of the lipophilic antioxidant CoQ10 than workers. Liquid chromatography analysis revealed that the levels of the reduced form of CoQ10 were 4 fold higher in the queen's body than in the worker's body. In addition, queens showed 7 fold higher levels of vitamin E, which plays a role in antilipid peroxidation along with CoQ, than workers. Furthermore, the oral administration of CoQ10 to termites increased the CoQ10 redox state in the body and their survival rate under oxidative stress. These findings suggest that CoQ10 acts as an efficient lipophilic antioxidant along with vitamin E in long-lived termite queens. This study provides essential biochemical and evolutionary insights into the relationship between CoQ10 concentrations and termite lifespan extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eisuke Tasaki
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Yorihiro Yamamoto
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshihito Iuchi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan
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3
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Sinotte VM, Renelies-Hamilton J, Andreu-Sánchez S, Vasseur-Cognet M, Poulsen M. Selective enrichment of founding reproductive microbiomes allows extensive vertical transmission in a fungus-farming termite. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231559. [PMID: 37848067 PMCID: PMC10581767 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1559] [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: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutualistic coevolution can be mediated by vertical transmission of symbionts between host generations. Termites host complex gut bacterial communities with evolutionary histories indicative of mixed-mode transmission. Here, we document that vertical transmission of gut bacterial strains is congruent across parent to offspring colonies in four pedigrees of the fungus-farming termite Macrotermes natalensis. We show that 44% of the offspring colony microbiome, including more than 80 bacterial genera and pedigree-specific strains, are consistently inherited. We go on to demonstrate that this is achieved because colony-founding reproductives are selectively enriched with a set of non-random, environmentally sensitive and termite-specific gut microbes from their colonies of origin. These symbionts transfer to offspring colony workers with high fidelity, after which priority effects appear to influence the composition of the establishing microbiome. Termite reproductives thus secure transmission of complex communities of specific, co-evolved microbes that are critical to their offspring colonies. Extensive yet imperfect inheritance implies that the maturing colony benefits from acquiring environmental microbes to complement combinations of termite, fungus and vertically transmitted microbes; a mode of transmission that is emerging as a prevailing strategy for hosts to assemble complex adaptive microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica M. Sinotte
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Justinn Renelies-Hamilton
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - Sergio Andreu-Sánchez
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
- Department of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mireille Vasseur-Cognet
- UMR IRD 242, UPEC, CNRS 7618, UPMC 113, INRAe 1392, Paris 7 113, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Bondy, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
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Takata M, Yabe K, Noro T, Mizote S, Konishi T, Tasaki E, Matsuura K. A method for estimating colony size using queen fecundity in termites under field conditions. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:35. [PMID: 37458826 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01865-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Colony size in social insects is one of the most important factors in shaping their self-organized system. It affects a wide variety of traits such as foraging and defense strategies, social immune responses, the degree of polymorphism, and reproductive output. However, colony size estimation of subterranean termites in the field has been challenging, due to their extremely cryptic biology and multiple site-nesting behavior. Since natural selection favors workers that maximize the number of their siblings, the amount of egg production may reflect the number of workers in the colony. Here, we report a method for inferring colony size in the field using total egg production in each colony from a subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus. Our investigation of field colonies revealed that the body weight of queens reaches a peak and had the largest variance in June and July and accurately predicts the number of eggs laid by the queen per 24 h. Using laboratory-reared colonies, we found that the total egg production in each colony is proportional to the number of workers. We also estimated the colony size of 198 field colonies and found that the median and maximum colony size was 24,500 and 451,800 workers per colony. The method for inferring colony size presented here may also be applicable to termite species with a clear seasonality in egg production. The colony size estimate will contribute to understanding the life history strategies and social systems of termites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamoru Takata
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
| | - Kiyotaka Yabe
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Takuya Noro
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shun Mizote
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Takao Konishi
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Eisuke Tasaki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
- Present address: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, 8050 Ikarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan
| | - Kenji Matsuura
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
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Tasaki E, Mitaka Y, Takahashi Y, Waliullah ASM, Tamannaa Z, Sakamoto T, Islam A, Kamiya M, Sato T, Aramaki S, Kikushima K, Horikawa M, Nakamura K, Kahyo T, Takata M, Setou M, Matsuura K. The royal food of termites shows king and queen specificity. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad222. [PMID: 37457894 PMCID: PMC10338896 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Society in eusocial insects is based on the reproductive division of labor, with a small number of reproductive individuals supported by a large number of nonreproductive individuals. Because inclusive fitness of all colony members depends on the survival and fertility of reproductive members, sterile members provide royals with special treatment. Here, we show that termite kings and queens each receive special food of a different composition from workers. Sequential analysis of feeding processes demonstrated that workers exhibit discriminative trophallaxis, indicating their decision-making capacity in allocating food to the kings and queens. Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry analyses of the stomodeal food and midgut contents revealed king- and queen-specific compounds, including diacylglycerols and short-chain peptides. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging analyses of 13C-labeled termites identified phosphatidylinositol and acetyl-l-carnitine in the royal food. Comparison of the digestive tract structure showed remarkable differences in the volume ratio of the midgut-to-hindgut among castes, indicating that digestive division of labor underlies reproductive division of labor. Our demonstration of king- and queen-specific foods in termites provides insight into the nutritional system that underpins the extraordinary reproduction and longevity of royals in eusocial insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yutaka Takahashi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - A S M Waliullah
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Zinat Tamannaa
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Takumi Sakamoto
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Ariful Islam
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Masaki Kamiya
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Tomohito Sato
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Shuhei Aramaki
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
- Department of Radiology, Hamamatsu University Hospital, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
- International Mass Imaging Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Kenji Kikushima
- Present address: Department of Integrative Anatomy, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Makoto Horikawa
- Present address: Hiroshima Research Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8530, Japan
| | - Katsumasa Nakamura
- Department of Radiology, Hamamatsu University Hospital, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Kahyo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
- International Mass Imaging Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Mamoru Takata
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | | | - Kenji Matsuura
- To whom correspondence should be addressed: (M.S.); (K.M.)
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Takata M, Konishi T, Nagai S, Wu Y, Nozaki T, Tasaki E, Matsuura K. Discovery of an underground chamber to protect kings and queens during winter in temperate termites. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8809. [PMID: 37258652 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36035-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Overwintering is a critical part of the annual cycle for species that live in temperate, polar, and alpine regions. Consequently, low-temperature biology is a key determinant of temperate species distribution. Termites are distributed predominantly in tropical regions, and a limited number of species are found in the temperate zone. Here, in the termite Reticulitermes speratus, we report the discovery of an underground chamber that protects kings and queens to survive the winter, which is separate from the one they used during the warmer breeding season. In the spring, the royals inhabited decayed logs on the ground, then moved to their underground chamber located in the roots of stumps in the fall. The winter minimum temperature measured in the royal chamber was higher than that in the logs on the ground. In overwintering termites, the kings and queens had higher cold tolerance than workers and soldiers. Air temperatures dropped below the critical temperature multiple times, as evidenced from the past 140 years of weather records in Kyoto. These results demonstrated the survival strategies of reproductives to overcome the environment at the latitudinal limits. This study helps further the understanding of the termite's seasonal phenology, long-term survivorship, and life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamoru Takata
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
| | - Takao Konishi
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shuya Nagai
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yao Wu
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Tomonari Nozaki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Eisuke Tasaki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, 8050 Ikarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan
| | - Kenji Matsuura
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
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Konishi T, Tasaki E, Takata M, Matsuura K. King- and queen-specific degradation of uric acid contributes to reproduction in termites. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20221942. [PMID: 36598016 PMCID: PMC9811635 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Caste-based reproductive division of labour in social insects is built on asymmetries in resource allocation within colonies. Kings and queens dominantly consume limited resources for reproduction, while non-reproductive castes such as workers and soldiers help reproductive castes. Studying the regulation of such asymmetries in resource allocation is crucial for understanding the maintenance of sociality in insects, although the molecular background is poorly understood. We focused on uric acid, which is reserved and used as a valuable nitrogen source in wood-eating termites. We found that king- and queen-specific degradation of uric acid contributes to reproduction in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes speratus. The urate oxidase gene (RsUAOX), which catalyses the first step of nitrogen recycling from stored uric acid, was highly expressed in mature kings and queens, and upregulated with differentiation into neotenic kings/queens. Suppression of uric acid degradation decreased the number of eggs laid per queen. Uric acid was shown to be provided by workers to reproductive castes. Our results suggest that the capacity to use nitrogen, which is essential for the protein synthesis required for reproduction, maintains colony cohesion expressed as the reproductive monopoly held by kings and queens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takao Konishi
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Eisuke Tasaki
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, 8050 Ikarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Mamoru Takata
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Kenji Matsuura
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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Fitzpatrick CR, Toor I, Holmes MM. Colony but not social phenotype or status structures the gut bacteria of a eusocial mammal. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03230-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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9
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Sinotte VM, Renelies-Hamilton J, Taylor BA, Ellegaard KM, Sapountzis P, Vasseur-Cognet M, Poulsen M. Synergies Between Division of Labor and Gut Microbiomes of Social Insects. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
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Inagaki T, Matsuura K. Extended mutualism between termites and gut microbes: nutritional symbionts contribute to nest hygiene. Naturwissenschaften 2018; 105:52. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1580-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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