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Zhang C, Li X, Zhao L, Guo W, Deng W, Wang Q, Hu X, Du X, Sham PC, Luo X, Li T. Brain transcriptome-wide association study implicates novel risk genes underlying schizophrenia risk. Psychol Med 2023:1-11. [PMID: 37092861 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723000417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To identify risk genes whose expression are regulated by the reported risk variants and to explore the potential regulatory mechanism in schizophrenia (SCZ). METHODS We systematically integrated three independent brain expression quantitative traits (eQTLs) (CommonMind, GTEx, and BrainSeq Phase 2, a total of 1039 individuals) and GWAS data (56 418 cases and 78 818 controls), with the use of transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS). Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging was utilized to quantify the integrity of white matter bundles and determine whether polygenic risk of novel genes linked to brain structure was present in patients with first-episode antipsychotic SCZ. RESULTS TWAS showed that eight risk genes (CORO7, DDAH2, DDHD2, ELAC2, GLT8D1, PCDHA8, THOC7, and TYW5) reached transcriptome-wide significance (TWS) level. These findings were confirmed by an independent integrative approach (i.e. Sherlock). We further conducted conditional analyses and identified the potential risk genes that driven the TWAS association signal in each locus. Gene expression analysis showed that several TWS genes (including CORO7, DDAH2, DDHD2, ELAC2, GLT8D1, THOC7 and TYW5) were dysregulated in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of SCZ cases compared with controls. TWS genes were mainly expressed on the surface of glutamatergic neurons, GABAergic neurons, and microglia. Finally, SCZ cases had a substantially greater TWS genes-based polygenic risk (PRS) compared to controls, and we showed that fractional anisotropy of the cingulum-hippocampus mediates the influence of TWS genes PRS on SCZ. CONCLUSIONS Our findings identified novel SCZ risk genes and highlighted the importance of the TWS genes in frontal-limbic dysfunctions in SCZ, indicating possible therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengcheng Zhang
- Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaojing Li
- Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Liansheng Zhao
- Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wanjun Guo
- Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Deng
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xun Hu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiangdong Du
- Suzhou Psychiatric Hospital, Soochow University's Affiliated Guangji Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Pak Chung Sham
- Department of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for PanorOmic Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiongjian Luo
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Tao Li
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangzhou, China
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Dang X, Liu J, Zhang Z, Luo XJ. Mendelian Randomization Study Using Dopaminergic Neuron-Specific eQTL Identifies Novel Risk Genes for Schizophrenia. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:1537-1546. [PMID: 36517655 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-03160-3] [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: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Multiple integrative studies have been performed to identify the potential target genes of the non-coding schizophrenia (SCZ) risk variants. However, all the integrative studies used expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data from bulk tissues. Considering the cell type-specific regulatory effect of many genetic variants, it is important to conduct integrative studies using cell type-specific eQTL data. Here, we conduct a Mendelian randomization (MR) study by integrating genome-wide associations of SCZ (74,776 cases and 101,023 controls) and eQTL data (N = 215) from dopaminergic neurons, which were differentiated from human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. For eQTL from young post-mitotic dopaminergic neurons (differentiation of iPSC for 30 days, D30), we identified 34 genes whose genetically regulated expression in dopaminergic neurons may have a causal role in SCZ. Among which, ARL3 showed the most significant associations with SCZ. For eQTL from more mature dopaminergic neurons (D52), we identified 37 potential SCZ causal genes, and ARL3 and GNL3 showed the most significant associations. Only 12 genes showed significant associations with SCZ in both D30 and D52 eQTL datasets, indicating the time point-specific genetic regulatory effects in young post-mitotic dopaminergic neurons and more mature dopaminergic neurons. Comparing the results from dopaminergic neurons with bulk brain tissues prioritized 2 high-confidence risk genes, including DDHD2 and GALNT10. Our study identifies multiple risk genes whose genetically regulated expression in dopaminergic neurons may have a causal role in SCZ. Further mechanistic investigation will provide pivotal insights into SCZ pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinglun Dang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, Yunnan, China
| | - Jiewei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhijun Zhang
- Zhongda Hospital, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xiong-Jian Luo
- Zhongda Hospital, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu Province, China.
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Gu X, Dou M, Su W, Jiang Z, Duan Q, Cao B, Chen Y. Identifying novel proteins underlying schizophrenia via integrating pQTLs of the plasma, CSF, and brain with GWAS summary data. BMC Med 2022; 20:474. [PMID: 36482464 PMCID: PMC9730613 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02679-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a chronic and severe mental illness with no cure so far. Mendelian randomization (MR) is a genetic method widely used to explore etiologies of complex traits. In the current study, we aimed to identify novel proteins underlying SCZ with a systematic analytical approach. METHODS We integrated protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs) of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and plasma with the latest and largest SCZ genome-wide association study (GWAS) via a systematic analytical framework, including two-sample MR analysis, Steiger filtering analysis, and Bayesian colocalization analysis. RESULTS The genetically determined protein level of C4A/C4B (OR = 0.70, p = 1.66E-07) in the brain and ACP5 (OR = 0.42, p = 3.73E-05), CNTN2 (OR = 0.62, p = 2.57E-04), and PLA2G7 (OR = 0.71, p = 1.48E-04) in the CSF was associated with a lower risk of SCZ, while the genetically determined protein level of TIE1 (OR = 3.46, p = 4.76E-05), BCL6 (OR = 3.63, p = 1.59E-07), and MICB (OR = 4.49, p = 2.31E-11) in the CSF were associated with an increased risk for SCZ. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that genetically determined proteins suggestively associated with SCZ were enriched in the biological process of the immune response. CONCLUSION In conclusion, we identified one protein in the brain and six proteins in the CSF that showed supporting evidence of being potentially associated with SCZ, which could provide insights into future mechanistic studies to find new treatments for the disease. Our results also supported the important role of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Gu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Meng Dou
- Chengdu Institute of Computer Application, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Weiming Su
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Lab of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Zheng Jiang
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Lab of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Qingqing Duan
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Lab of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Bei Cao
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Lab of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.,Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yongping Chen
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China. .,Lab of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China. .,Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
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Wang J, Li S, Li X, Liu J, Yang J, Li Y, Li W, Yang Y, Li J, Chen R, Li K, Huang D, Liu Y, Lv L, Li M, Xiao X, Luo XJ. Functional variant rs2270363 on 16p13.3 confers schizophrenia risk by regulating NMRAL1. Brain 2022; 145:2569-2585. [PMID: 35094059 PMCID: PMC9612800 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent genome-wide association studies have reported multiple schizophrenia risk loci, yet the functional variants and their roles in schizophrenia remain to be characterized. Here we identify a functional single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2270363: G>A) at the schizophrenia risk locus 16p13.3. rs2270363 lies in the E-box element of the promoter of NMRAL1 and disrupts binding of the basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper family proteins, including USF1, MAX and MXI1. We validated the regulatory effects of rs2270363 using reporter gene assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Besides, expression quantitative trait loci analysis showed that the risk allele (A) of rs2270363 was significantly associated with elevated NMRAL1 expression in the human brain. Transcription factors knockdown and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated editing further confirmed the regulatory effects of the genomic region containing rs2270363 on NMRAL1. Intriguingly, NMRAL1 was significantly downregulated in the brain of schizophrenia patients compared with healthy subjects, and knockdown of Nmral1 expression affected proliferation and differentiation of mouse neural stem cells, as well as genes and pathways associated with brain development and synaptic transmission. Of note, Nmral1 knockdown resulted in significant decrease of dendritic spine density, revealing the potential pathophysiological mechanisms of NMRAL1 in schizophrenia. Finally, we independently confirmed the association between rs2270363 and schizophrenia in the Chinese population and found that the risk allele of rs2270363 was the same in European and Chinese populations. These lines of evidence suggest that rs2270363 may confer schizophrenia risk by regulating NMRAL1, a gene whose expression dysregulation might be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia by affecting neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Shiwu Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Jiewei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Jinfeng Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Yifan Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Wenqiang Li
- Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453002, China
- Henan Key Lab of Biological Psychiatry, International Joint Research Laboratory for Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453002, China
| | - Yongfeng Yang
- Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453002, China
- Henan Key Lab of Biological Psychiatry, International Joint Research Laboratory for Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453002, China
| | - Jiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Rui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Kaiqin Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Di Huang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Yixing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Luxian Lv
- Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453002, China
- Henan Key Lab of Biological Psychiatry, International Joint Research Laboratory for Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453002, China
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Xiong Jian Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
- Zhongda Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210096, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
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Wu Y, Yu XL, Xiao X, Li M, Li Y. Joint-Tissue Integrative Analysis Identified Hundreds of Schizophrenia Risk Genes. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 59:107-116. [PMID: 34628600 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02572-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a large number of schizophrenia risk variants, and most of them are mapped to noncoding regions. By leveraging multiple joint-tissue gene expression data and GWAS data, we herein performed a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and identified 144 genes whose mRNA levels were related to genetic risk of schizophrenia. Most of these genes exhibited diametrically opposite trends of expression in prenatal and postnatal brain tissues, despite that their expression levels in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) tissues did not significantly differ between schizophrenics and healthy controls. We then found significant enrichment of these genes in dopamine-related pathways that were repeatedly implicated in schizophrenia pathogenesis and in the action of antipsychotic drugs. Gene expression analysis using single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of mid-gestation fetal brains further revealed enrichment of these genes in glutamatergic excitatory neurons and cycling progenitors. These lines of evidence, in consistency with previous findings, confirmed the polygenic nature of schizophrenia and highlighted involvement of early neurodevelopment aberrations in this disorder. Further investigations using advanced algorithms in both bulk brain tissues and in single cells and at different developmental stages are necessary to characterize transcriptomic features of schizophrenia pathogenesis along brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wu
- Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Yu
- Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China. .,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| | - Yi Li
- Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China. .,Research Center for Psychological and Health Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China.
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