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Agrawal AA, Hastings AP, Lenhart PA, Blecher M, Duplais C, Petschenka G, Hawlena D, Wagschal V, Dobler S. Convergence and Divergence among Herbivorous Insects Specialized on Toxic Plants: Revealing Syndromes among the Cardenolide Feeders across the Insect Tree of Life. Am Nat 2024; 204:201-220. [PMID: 39179235 DOI: 10.1086/731277] [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] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
AbstractRepeatable macroevolutionary patterns provide hope for rules in biology, especially when we can decipher the underlying mechanisms. Here we synthesize natural history, genetic adaptations, and toxin sequestration in herbivorous insects that specialize on plants with cardiac glycoside defenses. Work on the monarch butterfly provided a model for evolution of the "sequestering specialist syndrome," where specific amino acid substitutions in the insect's Na+/K+-ATPase are associated with (1) high toxin resistance (target site insensitivity [TSI]), (2) sequestration of toxins, and (3) aposematic coloration. We evaluate convergence for these traits within and between Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera, encompassing hundreds of toxin-adapted species. Using new and existing data on ∼28 origins of specialization, we show that the monarch model evolved independently in five taxonomic orders (but not Diptera). An additional syndrome occurs in five orders (all but Hymenoptera): aposematic sequesterers with modest to medium TSI. Indeed, all sequestering species were aposematic, and all but one had at least modest TSI. Additionally, several species were aposematic nonsequesterers (potential Batesian mimics), and this combination evolved in species with a range of TSI levels. Finally, we identified some biases among these strategies within taxonomic orders. Biodiversity in this microcosm of life evolved repeatedly with a high degree of similarity across six taxonomic orders, yet we identified alternative trait combinations as well as lineage-specific outcomes.
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Dobler S, Mardulyn P, Pasteels JM, Rowell-Rahier M. HOST-PLANT SWITCHES AND THE EVOLUTION OF CHEMICAL DEFENSE AND LIFE HISTORY IN THE LEAF BEETLE GENUS OREINA. Evolution 2017; 50:2373-2386. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1996.tb03625.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/1995] [Accepted: 06/20/1996] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Dobler
- Zoologisches Institut; Universität Basel; Rheinsprung 9 CH-4051 Basel Switzerland
- Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et Cellulaire; Université Libre de Bruxelles; 50 Av. F.D. Roosevelt B-1050 Bruxelles Belgium
| | - Patrick Mardulyn
- Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et Cellulaire; Université Libre de Bruxelles; 50 Av. F.D. Roosevelt B-1050 Bruxelles Belgium
| | - Jacques M. Pasteels
- Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et Cellulaire; Université Libre de Bruxelles; 50 Av. F.D. Roosevelt B-1050 Bruxelles Belgium
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Experimental evidence suggests that specular reflectance and glossy appearance help amplify warning signals. Sci Rep 2017; 7:257. [PMID: 28325898 PMCID: PMC5427979 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00217-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Specular reflection appears as a bright spot or highlight on any smooth glossy convex surface and is caused by a near mirror-like reflectance off the surface. Convex shapes always provide the ideal geometry for highlights, areas of very strong reflectance, regardless of the orientation of the surface or position of the receiver. Despite highlights and glossy appearance being common in chemically defended insects, their potential signalling function is unknown. We tested the role of highlights in warning colouration of a chemically defended, alpine leaf beetle, Oreina cacaliae. We reduced the beetles' glossiness, hence their highlights, by applying a clear matt finish varnish on their elytra. We used blue tits as predators to examine whether the manipulation affected their initial latency to attack, avoidance learning and generalization of warning colouration. The birds learned to avoid both dull and glossy beetles but they initially avoided glossy prey more than dull prey. Interestingly, avoidance learning was generalized asymmetrically: birds that initially learned to avoid dull beetles avoided glossy beetles equally strongly, but not vice versa. We conclude that specular reflectance and glossiness can amplify the warning signal of O. cacaliae, augmenting avoidance learning, even if it is not critical for it.
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Mahoney SM, Theimer TC, Johnson MJ, Foster JT. Similar dietary but different numerical responses to nonnative tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) by two native warblers. Biol Invasions 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-017-1408-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Becker T, Pasteels J, Weigel C, Dahse HM, Voigt K, Boland W. A tale of four kingdoms – isoxazolin-5-one- and 3-nitropropanoic acid-derived natural products. Nat Prod Rep 2017; 34:343-360. [DOI: 10.1039/c6np00122j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The occurrence, structural diversity, (bio-)synthesis, properties and detoxification mechanisms of isoxazolinone- and 3-nitropropanoic acid-derived natural compounds are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Becker
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
- Jena
- Germany
| | - Jacques Pasteels
- Department of Biology
- Université Libre de Bruxelles
- Brussels
- Belgium
| | - Christiane Weigel
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology
- Hans Knoell Institute
- Jena
- Germany
| | - Hans-Martin Dahse
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology
- Hans Knoell Institute
- Jena
- Germany
| | - Kerstin Voigt
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology
- Hans Knoell Institute
- Jena
- Germany
| | - Wilhelm Boland
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
- Jena
- Germany
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Montagna M, Chouaia B, Sacchi L, Porretta D, Martin E, Giorgi A, Lozzia GC, Epis S. A new strain of Wolbachia in an alpine population of the viviparous Oreina cacaliae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2014; 43:913-922. [PMID: 25182613 DOI: 10.1603/en13228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Microbial symbionts played a central role in insect evolution. Oreina cacaliae (Schrank, 1785) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a rare example of a viviparous insect, able to feed on toxic plants and sequester toxic compounds. In the current study, the microbiota associated with O. cacaliae was characterized using a culture-independent approach, targeting the 16S rRNA bacterial gene. The obtained 16S rRNA gene sequences were analyzed and identified at different taxonomic levels. Wolbachia was the dominant bacterium, both in male and female (100 and 91.9%, respectively) individuals; the detected Wolbachia was described as a new sequence type based on multilocus sequence typing (Wolbachia ST375 Ocac_A_wVdO). After phylogenetic analyses, Wolbachia ST375 Ocac_A_wVdO was attributed to the supergroup A. Immunofluorescence assays and electron microscopy confirmed the presence of Wolbachia within O. cacaliae oocytes, confirming its transovarial transmission in this species. Representatives of six species of Oreina were tested for the presence of Wolbachia through specific polymerase chain reaction, and a dendrogram was generated for these species based on coxI gene sequences. The Wolbachia harbored by different species of Oreina were characterized by multilocus sequence typing. Five out of the six examined Oreina species were positive for Wolbachia, with four of these harboring the same sequence type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Montagna
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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Strauss AS, Peters S, Boland W, Burse A. ABC transporter functions as a pacemaker for sequestration of plant glucosides in leaf beetles. eLife 2013; 2:e01096. [PMID: 24302568 PMCID: PMC3843118 DOI: 10.7554/elife.01096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant-herbivore interactions dominate the planet’s terrestrial ecology. When it comes to host–plant specialization, insects are among the most versatile evolutionary innovators, able to disarm multiple chemical plant defenses. Sequestration is a widespread strategy to detoxify noxious metabolites, frequently for the insect’s own benefit against predation. In this study, we describe the broad-spectrum ATP-binding cassette transporter CpMRP of the poplar leaf beetle, Chrysomela populi as the first candidate involved in the sequestration of phytochemicals in insects. CpMRP acts in the defensive glands of the larvae as a pacemaker for the irreversible shuttling of pre-selected metabolites from the hemolymph into defensive secretions. Silencing CpMRP in vivo creates a defenseless phenotype, indicating its role in the secretion process is crucial. In the defensive glands of related leaf beetle species, we identified sequences similar to CpMRP and assume therefore that exocrine gland-based defensive strategies, evolved by these insects to repel their enemies, rely on ABC transporters as a key element. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01096.001 For millions of years, plant feeding insects have been locked in an arms race with the plants they consume. Plants have evolved defensive strategies such as the ability to produce noxious chemicals that deter insects, while many insects have evolved the means to thwart this defense and even turn it to their own advantage. The larvae of the poplar leaf beetle, Chrysomela populi, sequester toxic plant compounds in specialized glands on their backs and use these compounds to defend themselves against predators. The glands are lined with chemically inert chitin, the substance that makes up the insect exoskeleton, and the deterrent chemicals are released whenever the insect is threatened. Now, Strauss et al. have identified a key transport protein used by the larvae to move toxic plant compounds to these glands. This transport protein belongs to a family of membrane proteins called ABC transporters, which help to shuttle substances out of cells or into cell organelles using energy produced by the hydrolysis of ATP molecules. The gene for this transporter is expressed in the glands of the leaf beetles at levels 7,000 times higher than elsewhere in the larvae. Larvae that lack a functional version of the transporter gene continue to grow, but are unable to defend themselves against predators. Similar genes are found in other species of leaf beetle, suggesting that this type of transporter has been retained throughout evolution. Moreover, the transporter is not specific to a particular plant toxin; this enables leaf beetles to eat many different types of plants and boosts their chances of survival should a previous food source disappear. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01096.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja S Strauss
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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Dobler S, Rowell-Rahier M. Production of cardenolides versus sequestration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in larvae ofOreina species (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). J Chem Ecol 2013; 20:555-68. [PMID: 24242111 DOI: 10.1007/bf02059597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/1993] [Accepted: 10/18/1993] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Adult leaf beetles of the genusOreina are known to be defended either by autogenously produced cardenolides or by pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) sequestered from the food plant, or both. In this paper we analyze larvae of differentOreina species and show that the larvae contain the same defensive toxins as the adults in quantities similar to those released in the adults' secretion. Both classes of toxins are found in the body and hemolymph of the larvae, despite their different origins and later distribution in the adults. Larvae of sequestering species differed in their PA patterns, even though they fed on the same food plants. The concentration in first-instar larvae of a PA-sequestering species was similar to that in fourth-instar larvae. In all stages examined, the amount of PAs per larva did not greatly exceed the estimated uptake of one day. Eggs of two oviparous species contained large concentrations of the adult's toxins, while neonates of a sequestering larviparous species had no PAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Dobler
- Zoologisches Institut der Universität Basel, Rheinsprung 9, 4051, Basel, Switzerland
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Discher S, Burse A, Tolzin-Banasch K, Heinemann SH, Pasteels JM, Boland W. A Versatile Transport Network for Sequestering and Excreting Plant Glycosides in Leaf Beetles Provides an Evolutionary Flexible Defense Strategy. Chembiochem 2009; 10:2223-9. [DOI: 10.1002/cbic.200900226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Burse A, Frick S, Schmidt A, Buechler R, Kunert M, Gershenzon J, Brandt W, Boland W. Implication of HMGR in homeostasis of sequestered and de novo produced precursors of the iridoid biosynthesis in leaf beetle larvae. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2008; 38:76-88. [PMID: 18070667 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2007.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2007] [Revised: 09/14/2007] [Accepted: 09/20/2007] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Insects employ iridoids to deter predatory attacks. Larvae of some Chrysomelina species are capable to produce those cyclopentanoid monoterpenes de novo. The iridoid biosynthesis proceeds via the mevalonate pathway to geranyl diphospate (GDP) subsequently converted into 8-hydroxygeraniol-8-O-beta-D-glucoside followed by the transformation into the defensive compounds. We tested whether the glucoside, its aglycon or geraniol has an impact on the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), the key regulatory enzyme of the mevalonate pathway and also the iridoid biosynthesis. To address the inhibition site of the enzyme, initially a complete cDNA encoding full length HMGR was cloned from Phaedon cochleariae. Its catalytic portion was then heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. Purification and characterization of the recombinant protein revealed attenuated activity in enzyme assays by 8-hydroxygeraniol whereas no effect has been observed by addition of the glucoside or geraniol. Thus, the catalytic domain is the target for the inhibitor. Homology modeling of the catalytic domain and docking experiments demonstrated binding of 8-hydroxygeraniol to the active site and indicated a competitive inhibition mechanism. Iridoid producing larvae are potentially able to sequester glucosidically bound 8-hydroxygeraniol whose cleavage of the sugar moiety results in 8-hydroxygeraniol. Therefore, HMGR may represent a regulator in maintenance of homeostasis between de novo produced and sequestered intermediates of iridoid metabolism. Furthermore, we demonstrated that HMGR activity is not only diminished in iridoid producers but most likely prevalent within the Chrysomelina subtribe and also within the insecta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Burse
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Str. 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany.
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BÜNNIGE MARTINA, HILKER MONIKA, DOBLER SUSANNE. Convergent evolution of chemical defence in Galerucine larvae. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00912.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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12
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Gross J, Muller C, Vilcinskas A, Hilker M. Antimicrobial activity of exocrine glandular secretions, hemolymph, and larval regurgitate of the mustard leaf beetle phaedon cochleariae. J Invertebr Pathol 1998; 72:296-303. [PMID: 9784354 DOI: 10.1006/jipa.1998.4781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Larvae and adults of the mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) possess exocrine glands with secretions which are used in defense against predators. This study addressed the question whether these defensive secretions also display antimicrobial activity. Additionally, the effects of larval and adult hemolymph and larval regurgitate toward microorganisms were examined. The larval glandular secretion showed growth-inhibitory activity against the gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, but no lytic effect against cell walls of the gram-positive bacterium Micrococcus luteus. Growth of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana was also inhibited by the larval secretion. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the larval secretion was found to be due to its main component, the iridoid monoterpene, (epi)chrysomelidial. The mechanism of its antifungal activity was examined by different bioassays and compared to the commercially available fungicide nystatin. The antifungal activity of the larval secretion is not due to a loss of intracellular potassium in treated fungal cells, while high potassium efflux from treated cells is the mode of action of common fungicides. The larval secretion exhibited direct cytotoxicity against both fungal cells and plasmatocytes isolated from the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella. In contrast to the larval secretion, the adult glandular secretion of P. cochleariae showed lytic activity against the cell walls of the gram-positive bacterium M. luteus, but no activity against the gram-negative bacterium E. coli and eukaryotic cells. Hemolymph and larval regurgitate of P. cochleariae displayed the same activity as the tested glandular secretion of adults. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Gross
- Institut fur Zoologie, Freie Universitat Berlin, Haderslebener Str. 9, Berlin, D-12163, Germany
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Dahbi A, Lenoir A, Tinaut A, Taghizadeh T, Francke W, Hefetz A. Chemistry of the postpharyngeal gland secretion and its implication for the phylogeny of IberianCataglyphis species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CHEMOECOLOGY 1996. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01266308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Relative unpalatability of leaf beetles with either biosynthesized or sequestered chemical defence. Anim Behav 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/0003-3472(95)80203-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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New cardiac glycosides containing 2-deoxyhexoses from the defensive secretion of adult Chrysolina banksi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/0305-1978(94)00085-u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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17
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Daloze D, Pasteels JM. Isolation of 8-hydroxygeraniol-8-O-β-d-glucoside, a probable intermediate in biosynthesis of iridoid monoterpenes, from defensive secretions ofPlagiodera versicolora andGastrophysa viridula (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). J Chem Ecol 1994; 20:2089-97. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02066245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/1993] [Accepted: 04/04/1994] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Tomaschko KH. Ecdysteroids fromPycnogonum litorale (Arthropoda, Pantopoda) act as chemical defense againstCarcinus maenas (Crustacea, Decapoda). J Chem Ecol 1994; 20:1445-55. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02059872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/1993] [Accepted: 01/21/1994] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Dobler S, Rowell-Rahier M. Response of a leaf beetle to two food plants, only one of which provides a sequestrable defensive chemical. Oecologia 1994; 97:271-277. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00323160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/1993] [Accepted: 11/15/1993] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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