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Gonzales J, Kim I, Hwang W, Cho JH. Evolutionary rewiring of the dynamic network underpinning allosteric epistasis in NS1 of influenza A virus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.24.595776. [PMID: 38826371 PMCID: PMC11142230 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.24.595776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Viral proteins frequently mutate to evade or antagonize host innate immune responses, yet the impact of these mutations on the molecular energy landscape remains unclear. Epistasis, the intramolecular communications between mutations, often renders the combined mutational effects unpredictable. Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a major virulence factor of the influenza A virus (IAV) that activates host PI3K by binding to its p85β subunit. Here, we present the deep analysis for the impact of evolutionary mutations in NS1 that emerged between the 1918 pandemic IAV strain and its descendant PR8 strain. Our analysis reveal how the mutations rewired inter-residue communications which underlies long-range allosteric and epistatic networks in NS1. Our findings show that PR8 NS1 binds to p85β with approximately 10-fold greater affinity than 1918 NS1 due to allosteric mutational effects. Notably, these mutations also exhibited long-range epistatic effects. NMR chemical shift perturbation and methyl-axis order parameter analyses revealed that the mutations induced long-range structural and dynamic changes in PR8 NS1, enhancing its affinity to p85β. Complementary MD simulations and graph-based network analysis uncover how these mutations rewire dynamic residue interaction networks, which underlies the long-range epistasis and allosteric effects on p85β-binding affinity. Significantly, we find that conformational dynamics of residues with high betweenness centrality play a crucial role in communications between network communities and are highly conserved across influenza A virus evolution. These findings advance our mechanistic understanding of the allosteric and epistatic communications between distant residues and provides insight into their role in the molecular evolution of NS1.
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Sun L, Wilke Saliba S, Apweiler M, Akmermer K, Herlan C, Grathwol C, de Oliveira ACP, Normann C, Jung N, Bräse S, Fiebich BL. Anti-Neuroinflammatory Effects of a Macrocyclic Peptide-Peptoid Hybrid in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated BV2 Microglial Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4462. [PMID: 38674048 PMCID: PMC11049839 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084462] [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: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Inflammation processes of the central nervous system (CNS) play a vital role in the pathogenesis of several neurological and psychiatric disorders like depression. These processes are characterized by the activation of glia cells, such as microglia. Clinical studies showed a decrease in symptoms associated with the mentioned diseases after the treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. Therefore, the investigation of novel anti-inflammatory drugs could hold substantial potential in the treatment of disorders with a neuroinflammatory background. In this in vitro study, we report the anti-inflammatory effects of a novel hexacyclic peptide-peptoid hybrid in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglial cells. The macrocyclic compound X15856 significantly suppressed Interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), c-c motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), CCL3, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2), and CXCL10 expression and release in LPS-treated BV2 microglial cells. The anti-inflammatory effects of the compound are partially explained by the modulation of the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), p42/44 MAPK (ERK 1/2), protein kinase C (PKC), and the nuclear factor (NF)-κB, respectively. Due to its remarkable anti-inflammatory properties, this compound emerges as an encouraging option for additional research and potential utilization in disorders influenced by inflammation, such as depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Sun
- Neuroimmunology and Neurochemistry Research Group, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Soraya Wilke Saliba
- Neuroimmunology and Neurochemistry Research Group, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Apweiler
- Neuroimmunology and Neurochemistry Research Group, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kamil Akmermer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; (K.A.); (C.H.); (S.B.)
| | - Claudine Herlan
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; (K.A.); (C.H.); (S.B.)
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems-Functional Molecular Systems (IBCS-FMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstrasse 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Christoph Grathwol
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems-Functional Molecular Systems (IBCS-FMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstrasse 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | | | - Claus Normann
- Mechanisms of Depression Research Group, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Jung
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; (K.A.); (C.H.); (S.B.)
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems-Functional Molecular Systems (IBCS-FMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstrasse 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Stefan Bräse
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; (K.A.); (C.H.); (S.B.)
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems-Functional Molecular Systems (IBCS-FMS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstrasse 12, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Bernd L. Fiebich
- Neuroimmunology and Neurochemistry Research Group, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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Amărandi RM, Al-Matarneh MC, Popovici L, Ciobanu CI, Neamțu A, Mangalagiu II, Danac R. Exploring Pyrrolo-Fused Heterocycles as Promising Anticancer Agents: An Integrated Synthetic, Biological, and Computational Approach. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:865. [PMID: 37375812 DOI: 10.3390/ph16060865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Five new series of pyrrolo-fused heterocycles were designed through a scaffold hybridization strategy as analogs of the well-known microtubule inhibitor phenstatin. Compounds were synthesized using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of cycloimmonium N-ylides to ethyl propiolate as a key step. Selected compounds were then evaluated for anticancer activity and ability to inhibit tubulin polymerization in vitro. Notably, pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline 10a was active on most tested cell lines, performing better than control phenstatin in several cases, most notably on renal cancer cell line A498 (GI50 27 nM), while inhibiting tubulin polymerization in vitro. In addition, this compound was predicted to have a promising ADMET profile. The molecular details of the interaction between compound 10a and tubulin were investigated through in silico docking experiments, followed by molecular dynamics simulations and configurational entropy calculations. Of note, we found that some of the initially predicted interactions from docking experiments were not stable during molecular dynamics simulations, but that configurational entropy loss was similar in all three cases. Our results suggest that for compound 10a, docking experiments alone are not sufficient for the adequate description of interaction details in terms of target binding, which makes subsequent scaffold optimization more difficult and ultimately hinders drug design. Taken together, these results could help shape novel potent antiproliferative compounds with pyrrolo-fused heterocyclic cores, especially from an in silico methodological perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxana-Maria Amărandi
- TRANSCEND Research Center, Regional Institute of Oncology Iasi, 2-4 General Henri Mathias Berthelot Street, 700483 Iasi, Romania
| | - Maria-Cristina Al-Matarneh
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of Romanian Academy, 41A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
- Faculty of Chemistry, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol I, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Lăcrămioara Popovici
- Faculty of Chemistry, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol I, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Catalina Ionica Ciobanu
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Research-CERNESIM Centre, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol I, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Andrei Neamțu
- TRANSCEND Research Center, Regional Institute of Oncology Iasi, 2-4 General Henri Mathias Berthelot Street, 700483 Iasi, Romania
| | - Ionel I Mangalagiu
- Faculty of Chemistry, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol I, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Ramona Danac
- Faculty of Chemistry, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol I, 700506 Iasi, Romania
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Dyson HJ. Vital for Viruses: Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:167860. [PMID: 37330280 PMCID: PMC10656058 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Viruses infect all kingdoms of life; their genomes vary from DNA to RNA and in size from 2kB to 1 MB or more. Viruses frequently employ disordered proteins, that is, protein products of virus genes that do not themselves fold into independent three-dimensional structures, but rather, constitute a versatile molecular toolkit to accomplish a range of functions necessary for viral infection, assembly, and proliferation. Interestingly, disordered proteins have been discovered in almost all viruses so far studied, whether the viral genome consists of DNA or RNA, and whatever the configuration of the viral capsid or other outer covering. In this review, I present a wide-ranging set of stories illustrating the range of functions of IDPs in viruses. The field is rapidly expanding, and I have not tried to include everything. What is included is meant to be a survey of the variety of tasks that viruses accomplish using disordered proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Jane Dyson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and Skaggs Institute of Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Shi J, Cho JH, Hwang W. Heterogeneous and Allosteric Role of Surface Hydration for Protein-Ligand Binding. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:1875-1887. [PMID: 36820489 PMCID: PMC10848206 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Atomistic-level understanding of surface hydration mediating protein-protein interactions and ligand binding has been a challenge due to the dynamic nature of water molecules near the surface. We develop a computational method to evaluate the solvation free energy based on the density map of the first hydration shell constructed from all-atom molecular dynamics simulation and use it to examine the binding of two intrinsically disordered ligands to their target protein domain. One ligand is from the human protein, and the other is from the 1918 Spanish flu virus. We find that the viral ligand incurs a 6.9 kcal/mol lower desolvation penalty upon binding to the target, which is consistent with its stronger binding affinity. The difference arises from the spatially fragmented and nonuniform water density profiles of the first hydration shell. In particular, residues that are distal from the ligand-binding site contribute to a varying extent to the desolvation penalty, among which the "entropy hotspot" residues contribute significantly. Thus, ligand binding alters hydration on remote sites in addition to affecting the binding interface. The nonlocal effect disappears when the conformational motion of the protein is suppressed. The present results elucidate the interplay between protein conformational dynamics and surface hydration. Our approach of measuring the solvation free energy based on the water density of the first hydration shell is tolerant of the conformational fluctuation of protein, and we expect it to be applicable to investigating a broad range of biomolecular interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Shi
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 777843, United States
| | - Jae-Hyun Cho
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M
University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Wonmuk Hwang
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M
University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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Sae-Ueng U, Bhunchoth A, Phironrit N, Treetong A, Sapcharoenkun C, Chatchawankanphanich O, Leartsakulpanich U, Chitnumsub P. Thermoresponsive C22 phage stiffness modulates the phage infectivity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13001. [PMID: 35906255 PMCID: PMC9338302 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16795-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages offer a sustainable alternative for controlling crop disease. However, the lack of knowledge on phage infection mechanisms makes phage-based biological control varying and ineffective. In this work, we interrogated the temperature dependence of the infection and thermo-responsive behavior of the C22 phage. This soilborne podovirus is capable of lysing Ralstonia solanacearum, causing bacterial wilt disease. We revealed that the C22 phage could better infect the pathogenic host cell when incubated at low temperatures (25, 30 °C) than at high temperatures (35, 40 °C). Measurement of the C22 phage stiffness revealed that the phage stiffness at low temperatures was 2–3 times larger than at high temperatures. In addition, the imaging results showed that more C22 phage particles were attached to the cell surface at low temperatures than at high temperatures, associating the phage stiffness and the phage attachment. The result suggests that the structure and stiffness modulation in response to temperature change improve infection, providing mechanistic insight into the C22 phage lytic cycle. Our study signifies the need to understand phage responses to the fluctuating environment for effective phage-based biocontrol implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udom Sae-Ueng
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Anjana Bhunchoth
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Namthip Phironrit
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Alongkot Treetong
- National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Chaweewan Sapcharoenkun
- National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Orawan Chatchawankanphanich
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Ubolsree Leartsakulpanich
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Penchit Chitnumsub
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
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Vakilian M. A review on the effect of prolyl isomerization on immune response aberration and hypersensitivity reactions: A unifying hypothesis. Clin Immunol 2021; 234:108896. [PMID: 34848356 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2021.108896] [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: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the causes and mechanisms of ectopic immune responses, including different types of hypersensitivity, superantigens, and cytokine storms. Two of the most questionable phenomena observed in immunology are why the intensity and extent of immune responses to different antigens are different, and why some self-antigens are attacked as foreign. The secondary structure of the peptides involved in the immune system, such as the epitope-paratope interfaces plays a pivotal role in the resulting immune responses. Prolyl cis/trans isomerization plays a fundamental role in the form of the secondary structure and the folding of proteins. This review covers some of the emerging evidence indicating the impact of prolyl isomerization on protein conformation, aberration of immune responses, and the development of hypersensitivity reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Vakilian
- Department of Cell Biology, Genetics and Physiology, University of Malaga (UMA), The Institute of Biomedical Research in Malaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain.
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Schaber EN, Ivanova N, Iliev S, Petrova J, Gocheva G, Madjarova G, Ivanova A. Initial Stages of Spontaneous Binding of Folate-Based Vectors to Folate Receptor-α Observed by Unbiased Molecular Dynamics. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:7598-7612. [PMID: 34247488 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Active targeting is a prospective strategy for controlled drug delivery to malignant tumor tissues. One of the approaches relies on recognition of a bioactive ligand by a receptor expressed abundantly on the surface of cancer cell membranes. A promising ligand-receptor pair is folic acid (or its dianionic form, folate) combined with the folate receptor-α (FRα). A number of targeting drug delivery systems based on folate have been suggested, but the mechanism of binding of the ligand or its derivatives to the receptor is not fully known at the molecular level. The current study summarizes the results from unbiased all-atom molecular dynamics simulations at physiological conditions describing the binding of two forms of folate and four of its synthetically available derivatives to FRα. The models (ca. 185,000 atoms) contain one receptor molecule, embedded in the outer leaflet of a lipid bilayer, and one ligand, all immersed in saline. The bilayer represents a human cancer cell membrane and consists of 370 asymmetrically distributed lipid molecules from 35 types. The ability of the vector molecules to bind to the receptor, the position of binding, and the interactions between them are analyzed. Spontaneous binding on the nanosecond scale is observed for all molecules, but its time, position, and persistence depend strongly on the ligand. Only folate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and raltitrexed bind selectively at the active site of the receptor. Two binding poses are observed, one of them (realized by raltitrexed) corresponding qualitatively to that reported for the crystallographic structure of the complex folate-FRα. Pemetrexed adsorbs nonspecifically on the protein surface, while methotrexate and pteroyl ornithine couple much less to the receptor. The molecular simulations reproduce qualitatively correctly the relative binding affinity measured experimentally for five of the ligands. Analysis of the interactions between the ligands and FRα shows that in order to accomplish specific binding to the active site, a combination of hydrogen bonding, π-stacking, and van der Waals and Coulomb attraction should be feasible simultaneously for the vector molecule. The reported results demonstrate that it is possible to observe receptor-ligand binding without applying bias by representing the local environment as close as possible and contain important molecular-level guidelines for the design of folate-based systems for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan N Schaber
- Laboratory of Quantum and Computational Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 1 James Bourchier boulevard, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
| | - Nikoleta Ivanova
- Laboratory of Quantum and Computational Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 1 James Bourchier boulevard, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
| | - Stoyan Iliev
- Laboratory of Quantum and Computational Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 1 James Bourchier boulevard, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
| | - Jasmina Petrova
- Laboratory of Quantum and Computational Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 1 James Bourchier boulevard, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
| | - Gergana Gocheva
- Laboratory of Quantum and Computational Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 1 James Bourchier boulevard, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
| | - Galia Madjarova
- Laboratory of Quantum and Computational Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 1 James Bourchier boulevard, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
| | - Anela Ivanova
- Laboratory of Quantum and Computational Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", 1 James Bourchier boulevard, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
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