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Mason EC, Menon S, Schneider BR, Gaskill CF, Dawson MM, Moore CM, Armstrong LC, Cho O, Richmond BW, Kropski JA, West JD, Geraghty P, Gomperts BN, Ess KC, Gally F, Majka SM. Activation of mTOR signaling in adult lung microvascular progenitor cells accelerates lung aging. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e171430. [PMID: 37874650 PMCID: PMC10721153 DOI: 10.1172/jci171430] [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: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Reactivation and dysregulation of the mTOR signaling pathway are a hallmark of aging and chronic lung disease; however, the impact on microvascular progenitor cells (MVPCs), capillary angiostasis, and tissue homeostasis is unknown. While the existence of an adult lung vascular progenitor has long been hypothesized, these studies show that Abcg2 enriches for a population of angiogenic tissue-resident MVPCs present in both adult mouse and human lungs using functional, lineage, and transcriptomic analyses. These studies link human and mouse MVPC-specific mTORC1 activation to decreased stemness, angiogenic potential, and disruption of p53 and Wnt pathways, with consequent loss of alveolar-capillary structure and function. Following mTOR activation, these MVPCs adapt a unique transcriptome signature and emerge as a venous subpopulation in the angiodiverse microvascular endothelial subclusters. Thus, our findings support a significant role for mTOR in the maintenance of MVPC function and microvascular niche homeostasis as well as a cell-based mechanism driving loss of tissue structure underlying lung aging and the development of emphysema.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C. Mason
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Swapna Menon
- Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute Kochi and AnalyzeDat Consulting Services, Kerala, India
| | - Benjamin R. Schneider
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Christa F. Gaskill
- Department of Dermatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Maggie M. Dawson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Camille M. Moore
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Genes, Environment and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Laura Craig Armstrong
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Okyong Cho
- Genomics and Microarray Core, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Bradley W. Richmond
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jonathan A. Kropski
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - James D. West
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Patrick Geraghty
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Brigitte N. Gomperts
- Translational Research, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center; Pediatrics Division of Pulmonary Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kevin C. Ess
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Fabienne Gally
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Genes, Environment and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Susan M. Majka
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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Aitken P, Stanescu I, Boddington L, Mahon C, Fogarasi A, Liao YH, Ivars M, Moreno-Artero E, Trauner D, DeRoos ST, Jancic J, Nikolic M, Balážová P, Price HN, Hadzsiev K, Riney K, Stapleton S, Tollefson MM, Bauer D, Pinková B, Atkinson H. A novel rapamycin cream formulation improves facial angiofibromas associated with tuberous sclerosis complex: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Br J Dermatol 2023; 189:520-530. [PMID: 37463422 DOI: 10.1093/bjd/ljad243] [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: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facial angiofibromas (FAs) are a major feature of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Topical rapamycin can successfully treat FAs. A new stabilized cream formulation that protects rapamycin from oxidation has been developed in 0.5% and 1% concentrations. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and safety of a novel, stabilized topical rapamycin cream formulation. METHODS This multicentre double-blind randomized placebo-controlled dose-response phase II/III study with a parallel design included participants aged 6-65 years with FAs of mild or moderate severity according to the Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) scale. Participants were randomized to one of three treatment arms: topical rapamycin 0.5%, topical rapamycin 1% or placebo. Treatment was applied once daily for 26 weeks. Safety and efficacy measures were assessed at days 14, 56, 98, 140 and 182. The primary endpoint was the percentage of participants achieving IGA scores of 'clear' or 'almost clear' after 26 weeks of treatment. Secondary measures included Facial Angiofibroma Severity Index (FASI) and participant- and clinician-reported percentage-based improvement. Safety measures included the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events and blood rapamycin concentration changes over time. RESULTS Participants (n = 107) were randomized to receive either rapamycin 1% (n = 33), rapamycin 0.5% (n = 36) or placebo (n = 38). All treated participants were included in the final analysis. The percentage of participants with a two-grade IGA improvement was greater in the rapamycin 0.5% treatment group (11%) and rapamycin 1% group (9%) than in the placebo group (5%). However, this was not statistically significant [rapamycin 0.5%: odds ratio (OR) 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-8.18 (P = 0.50); rapamycin 1%: OR 1.68, 95% CI 0.33-8.40 (P = 0.53)]. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of participants treated with rapamycin cream that achieved at least a one-grade improvement in IGA [rapamycin 0.5%: 56% (OR 4.73, 95% CI 1.59-14.10; P = 0.005); rapamycin 1%: 61% (OR 5.14, 95% CI 1.70-15.57; P = 0.004); placebo: 24%]. Skin adverse reactions were more common in patients following rapamycin application (64%) vs. placebo (29%). CONCLUSIONS Both rapamycin cream formulations (0.5% and 1%) were well tolerated, and either strength could lead to clinical benefit in the treatment of FA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Caroline Mahon
- Dermatology Department, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | | | - Yi-Hua Liao
- Department of Dermatology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Marta Ivars
- Dermatology Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Doris Trauner
- University of California San Diego Health Sciences, Department of Neurosciences, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Jasna Jancic
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- Clinic of Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milos Nikolic
- University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Department of Dermatovenereology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Patrícia Balážová
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, National Institute of Children's Diseases, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Harper N Price
- Division of Dermatology, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Kinga Hadzsiev
- Department of Medical Genetics, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Kate Riney
- Neurosciences Unit, Queensland Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Megha M Tollefson
- Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Children's Center, MN, USA
| | - Derek Bauer
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Blanka Pinková
- Department of Paediatric Dermatology, Faculty Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
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Fibrous papule of the face, similar to tuberous sclerosis complex-associated angiofibroma, shows activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway: evidence for a novel therapeutic strategy? PLoS One 2014; 9:e89467. [PMID: 24558502 PMCID: PMC3928451 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/20/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibrous papules of the face are hamartomas characterized by stellate-shaped stromal cells, multinucleated giant cells, and proliferative blood vessels in the dermis. The pathogenesis of fibrous papules remains unclear. There is a striking microscopic resemblance between fibrous papules and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated angiofibromas. A germline mutation of the TSC1 or TSC2 gene, leading to activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, accounts for the pathogenesis of TSC-associated angiofibromas. Activated mTOR subsequently activates p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) and ribosomal protein S6 (S6) by phosphorylation. Rapamycin, a mTOR inhibitor, is effective in treating TSC-associated angiofibromas. The aim of this study was to understand whether the mTOR pathway is activated in fibrous papules. We studied immunoexpressions of phosphorylated (p-) mTOR effectors in fibrous papules, TSC-associated angiofibromas, and normal skin controls. P-mTOR, p-p70S6K and p-S6 were highly expressed in dermal stromal cells and epidermal keratinocytes in fibrous papules and TSC-associated angiofibromas but not in fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes of normal skin controls (p<0.001). The results suggest topical rapamycin may be a novel treatment option for fibrous papules.
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Darling TN, Pacheco-Rodriguez G, Gorio A, Lesma E, Walker C, Moss J. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis and TSC2-/- cells. Lymphat Res Biol 2010; 8:59-69. [PMID: 20235888 DOI: 10.1089/lrb.2009.0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The cells comprising pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and renal angiomyolipomas (AMLs) are heterogeneous, with variable mixtures of cells exhibiting differentiation towards smooth muscle, fat, and vessels. Cells grown from LAM and AMLs have likewise tended to be heterogeneous. The discovery that LAM and AMLs contain cells with mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes is allowing investigators to discriminate between "two-hit" cells and neighboring cells, providing insights into disease pathogenesis. In rare cases, it has been possible to derive cells from human tumors, including AMLs and TSC skin tumors that are highly enriched for TSC2(-/-) cells. Cells derived from an Eker rat uterine leiomyoma (ELT3 cells) are Tsc2-null and these have been used in a rodent cell models for LAM. Further improvements in the ability to reliably grow well-characterized TSC2(-/-) cells from human tumors are critical to developing in vitro and in vivo model systems for studies of LAM pathogenesis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas N Darling
- Department of Dermatology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA.
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Mesenchymal-epithelial interactions involving epiregulin in tuberous sclerosis complex hamartomas. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:3539-44. [PMID: 18292222 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0712397105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop hamartomas containing biallelic inactivating mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2, resulting in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation. Hamartomas overgrow epithelial and mesenchymal cells in TSC skin. The pathogenetic mechanisms for these changes had not been investigated, and the existence or location of cells with biallelic mutations ("two-hit" cells) was unclear. We compared TSC skin hamartomas (angiofibromas and periungual fibromas) with normal-appearing skin of the same patient, and we observed more proliferation and mTOR activation in hamartoma epidermis. Two-hit cells were not detected in the epidermis. Fibroblast-like cells in the dermis, however, exhibited allelic deletion of TSC2, in both touch preparations of fresh tumor samples and cells grown from TSC skin tumors, suggesting that increased epidermal proliferation and mTOR activation were not caused by second-hit mutations in the keratinocytes but by mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. Gene expression arrays, used to identify potential paracrine factors released by mesenchymal cells, revealed more epiregulin mRNA in fibroblast-like angiofibroma and periungual fibroma cells than in fibroblasts from normal-appearing skin of the same patient. Elevation of epiregulin mRNA was confirmed with real-time PCR, and increased amounts of epiregulin protein were demonstrated with immunoprecipitation. Epiregulin stimulated keratinocyte proliferation and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 in vitro. These results suggest that hamartomatous TSC skin tumors are induced by paracrine factors released by two-hit cells in the dermis and that proliferation with mTOR activation of the overlying epidermis is an effect of epiregulin.
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Rauktys A, Lee N, Lee L, Dabora SL. Topical rapamycin inhibits tuberous sclerosis tumor growth in a nude mouse model. BMC DERMATOLOGY 2008; 8:1. [PMID: 18226258 PMCID: PMC2266897 DOI: 10.1186/1471-5945-8-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2007] [Accepted: 01/28/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Skin manifestations of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) cause significant morbidity. The molecular mechanism underlying TSC is understood and there is evidence that systemic treatment with rapamycin or other mTOR inhibitors may be a useful approach to targeted therapy for the kidney and brain manifestations. Here we investigate topical rapamycin in a mouse model for TSC-related tumors. METHODS 0.4% and 0.8% rapamycin ointments were applied to nude mice bearing subcutaneous, TSC-related tumors. Topical treatments were compared with injected rapamycin and topical vehicle. Rapamycin levels in blood and tumors were measured to assess systemic drug levels in all cohorts. RESULTS Treatment with topical rapamycin improved survival and reduced tumor growth. Topical rapamycin treatment resulted in systemic drug levels within the known therapeutic range and was not as effective as injected rapamycin. CONCLUSION Topical rapamycin inhibits TSC-related tumor growth. These findings could lead to a novel treatment approach for facial angiofibromas and other TSC skin lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey Rauktys
- Translational Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, One Blackfan Circle, Karp Research Building, Boston, MA, 02115 USA
| | - Nancy Lee
- Translational Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, One Blackfan Circle, Karp Research Building, Boston, MA, 02115 USA
| | - Laifong Lee
- Translational Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, One Blackfan Circle, Karp Research Building, Boston, MA, 02115 USA
| | - Sandra L Dabora
- Translational Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, One Blackfan Circle, Karp Research Building, Boston, MA, 02115 USA
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Abstract
The missed mark or hamartia underlying each hamartoma syndrome is a mutation in a tumor suppressor gene. This sets the stage for the development of frequent and early tumors in multiple organs. Loss of function of the tumor suppressor in neoplastic cells leads to dysregulation of signaling pathways and tumor growth. The convergence of these signaling pathways to the mTOR pathway suggests that rapamycin or rapamycin-like drugs have potential for treatment, perhaps in combination with drugs targeting other signaling pathways. Haploinsufficient cells also play significant roles in tumor formation. Disrupting interactions between neoplastic cells and surrounding haploinsufficient cells using antiangiogenesis therapies represent an additional approach for treatment. It is hoped that the debilitating effects of these syndromes soon will be alleviated or even reversed though targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas N Darling
- Department of Dermatology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
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Li S, Takeuchi F, Wang JA, Fuller C, Pacheco-Rodriguez G, Moss J, Darling TN. MCP-1 overexpressed in tuberous sclerosis lesions acts as a paracrine factor for tumor development. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 202:617-24. [PMID: 16129702 PMCID: PMC1378109 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20042469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop hamartomatous tumors showing loss of function of the tumor suppressor TSC1 (hamartin) or TSC2 (tuberin) and increased angiogenesis, fibrosis, and abundant mononuclear phagocytes. To identify soluble factors with potential roles in TSC tumorigenesis, we screened TSC skin tumor–derived cells for altered gene and protein expression. Fibroblast-like cells from 10 angiofibromas and five periungual fibromas produced higher levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA and protein than did fibroblasts from the same patient's normal skin. Conditioned medium from angiofibroma cells stimulated chemotaxis of a human monocytic cell line to a greater extent than conditioned medium from TSC fibroblasts, an effect blocked by neutralizing MCP-1–specific antibody. Overexpression of MCP-1 seems to be caused by loss of tuberin function because Eker rat embryonic fibroblasts null for Tsc2 (EEF Tsc2−/−) produced 28 times as much MCP-1 protein as did EEF Tsc2+/+ cells; transient expression of WT but not mutant human TSC2 by EEF Tsc2−/− cells inhibited MCP-1 production; and pharmacological inhibition of the Rheb-mTOR pathway, which is hyperactivated after loss of TSC2, decreased MCP-1 production by EEF Tsc2−/− cells. Together these findings suggest that MCP-1 is an important paracrine factor for TSC tumorigenesis and may be a new therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaowei Li
- Department of Dermatology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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Wu J, Khalil FK, Keehn CA, Saeed S, Morgan MB. Hamartin and tuberin immunohistochemical expression in cutaneous fibroepithelial polyps. J Cutan Pathol 2004; 31:383-7. [PMID: 15059224 DOI: 10.1111/j.0303-6987.2004.00201.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hamartin and tuberin are inactivating tumor suppressor proteins implicated in the development of gastrointestinal polyps and sporadic and tuberous sclerosis-associated cutaneous angiofibromas. The pattern of expression of these peptides has not been studied in fibroepithelial polyps (FEPs). DESIGN The specific aim of the study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of tuberin and hamartin within the epithelium and dermal fibrocytes of 20 cutaneous FEPs compared with the epithelium and dermal fibrocytes of normal skin. The diagnoses were confirmed independently by a dermatopathologist, and the pattern of intensity was assessed by the mean labeling intensity (MLI) of cytoplasmic and/or nuclear staining for each antibody. RESULTS Hamartin and tuberin antibodies showed moderate staining of the keratinocytes and fibrocytes of normal skin and the keratinocytes within FEPs. Both antibodies showed diminished staining within the fibrocytes of the FEPs. The MLI of hamartin was 44.3 +/- 4.4 for keratinocyte nuclei in normal skin and 51.2 +/- 3.7 within the polyps. The MLI of tuberin was 42.9 +/- 3.6 within the keratinocyte nuclei of the normal skin compared to 39.7 +/- 3.0 for the polyps. The MLI for hamartin within the fibrocytes of the normal skin was 78.9 +/- 7.1 compared to 21.6 +/- 4.2 within the polyps, p = 0.01. The MLI for tuberin within the fibrocytes of normal skin was 70.6 +/- 5.0 compared to 47.1 +/- 4.7 within the polyps. CONCLUSION The data suggest that down regulation or loss of tuberin and/or hamartin expression may be permissive to fibrocyte proliferation or promote collagen production leading to FEP formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Wu
- Department of Pathology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA
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