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Ayyildiz D, Bergonzoni G, Monziani A, Tripathi T, Döring J, Kerschbamer E, Di Leva F, Pennati E, Donini L, Kovalenko M, Zasso J, Conti L, Wheeler VC, Dieterich C, Piazza S, Dassi E, Biagioli M. CAG repeat expansion in the Huntington's disease gene shapes linear and circular RNAs biogenesis. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010988. [PMID: 37831730 PMCID: PMC10617732 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) appears to be altered in Huntington's disease (HD), but its significance for early, pre-symptomatic disease stages has not been inspected. Here, taking advantage of Htt CAG knock-in mouse in vitro and in vivo models, we demonstrate a correlation between Htt CAG repeat length and increased aberrant linear AS, specifically affecting neural progenitors and, in vivo, the striatum prior to overt behavioral phenotypes stages. Remarkably, a significant proportion (36%) of the aberrantly spliced isoforms are not-functional and meant to non-sense mediated decay (NMD). The expanded Htt CAG repeats further reflect on a previously neglected, global impairment of back-splicing, leading to decreased circular RNAs production in neural progenitors. Integrative transcriptomic analyses unveil a network of transcriptionally altered micro-RNAs and RNA-binding proteins (Celf, hnRNPs, Ptbp, Srsf, Upf1, Ythd2) which might influence the AS machinery, primarily in neural cells. We suggest that this unbalanced expression of linear and circular RNAs might alter neural fitness, contributing to HD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilara Ayyildiz
- Bioinformatic facility, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Guendalina Bergonzoni
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Alan Monziani
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Takshashila Tripathi
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Jessica Döring
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Emanuela Kerschbamer
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Leva
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Elia Pennati
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Luisa Donini
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Marina Kovalenko
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jacopo Zasso
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Luciano Conti
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Vanessa C. Wheeler
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Neurology Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Christoph Dieterich
- Section of Bioinformatics and Systems Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Silvano Piazza
- Bioinformatic facility, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Erik Dassi
- Laboratory of RNA Regulatory Networks, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Marta Biagioli
- NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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2
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Thomson SB, Stam A, Brouwers C, Fodale V, Bresciani A, Vermeulen M, Mostafavi S, Petkau TL, Hill A, Yung A, Russell-Schulz B, Kozlowski P, MacKay A, Ma D, Beg MF, Evers MM, Vallès A, Leavitt BR. AAV5-miHTT-mediated huntingtin lowering improves brain health in a Huntington's disease mouse model. Brain 2023; 146:2298-2315. [PMID: 36508327 PMCID: PMC10232253 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Huntingtin (HTT)-lowering therapies show great promise in treating Huntington's disease. We have developed a microRNA targeting human HTT that is delivered in an adeno-associated serotype 5 viral vector (AAV5-miHTT), and here use animal behaviour, MRI, non-invasive proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and striatal RNA sequencing as outcome measures in preclinical mouse studies of AAV5-miHTT. The effects of AAV5-miHTT treatment were evaluated in homozygous Q175FDN mice, a mouse model of Huntington's disease with severe neuropathological and behavioural phenotypes. Homozygous mice were used instead of the more commonly used heterozygous strain, which exhibit milder phenotypes. Three-month-old homozygous Q175FDN mice, which had developed acute phenotypes by the time of treatment, were injected bilaterally into the striatum with either formulation buffer (phosphate-buffered saline + 5% sucrose), low dose (5.2 × 109 genome copies/mouse) or high dose (1.3 × 1011 genome copies/mouse) AAV5-miHTT. Wild-type mice injected with formulation buffer served as controls. Behavioural assessments of cognition, T1-weighted structural MRI and striatal proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy were performed 3 months after injection, and shortly afterwards the animals were sacrificed to collect brain tissue for protein and RNA analysis. Motor coordination was assessed at 1-month intervals beginning at 2 months of age until sacrifice. Dose-dependent changes in AAV5 vector DNA level, miHTT expression and mutant HTT were observed in striatum and cortex of AAV5-miHTT-treated Huntington's disease model mice. This pattern of microRNA expression and mutant HTT lowering rescued weight loss in homozygous Q175FDN mice but did not affect motor or cognitive phenotypes. MRI volumetric analysis detected atrophy in four brain regions in homozygous Q175FDN mice, and treatment with high dose AAV5-miHTT rescued this effect in the hippocampus. Like previous magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies in Huntington's disease patients, decreased total N-acetyl aspartate and increased myo-inositol levels were found in the striatum of homozygous Q175FDN mice. These neurochemical findings were partially reversed with AAV5-miHTT treatment. Striatal transcriptional analysis using RNA sequencing revealed mutant HTT-induced changes that were partially reversed by HTT lowering with AAV5-miHTT. Striatal proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis suggests a restoration of neuronal function, and striatal RNA sequencing analysis shows a reversal of transcriptional dysregulation following AAV5-miHTT in a homozygous Huntington's disease mouse model with severe pathology. The results of this study support the use of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in HTT-lowering clinical trials and strengthen the therapeutic potential of AAV5-miHTT in reversing severe striatal dysfunction in Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah B Thomson
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Anouk Stam
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure Biopharma B.V., 1105BP Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Cynthia Brouwers
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure Biopharma B.V., 1105BP Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Valentina Fodale
- Department of Translational Biology, IRBM S.p.A., Pomezia 00071, Italy
| | - Alberto Bresciani
- Department of Translational Biology, IRBM S.p.A., Pomezia 00071, Italy
| | - Michael Vermeulen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Sara Mostafavi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Terri L Petkau
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Austin Hill
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Andrew Yung
- UBC MRI Research Centre, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T2B5, Canada
| | - Bretta Russell-Schulz
- UBC MRI Research Centre, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T2B5, Canada
| | - Piotr Kozlowski
- UBC MRI Research Centre, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T2B5, Canada
| | - Alex MacKay
- UBC MRI Research Centre, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T2B5, Canada
| | - Da Ma
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Mirza Faisal Beg
- School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A0A7, Canada
| | - Melvin M Evers
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure Biopharma B.V., 1105BP Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Astrid Vallès
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure Biopharma B.V., 1105BP Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
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Denis HL, Alpaugh M, Alvarez CP, Fenyi A, Barker RA, Chouinard S, Arrowsmith CH, Melki R, Labib R, Harding RJ, Cicchetti F. Detection of antibodies against the huntingtin protein in human plasma. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:45. [PMID: 36651994 PMCID: PMC9849309 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04687-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder resulting from a CAG expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, which leads to the production and accumulation of mutant huntingtin (mHTT). While primarily considered a disorder of the central nervous system, multiple changes have been described to occur throughout the body, including activation of the immune system. In other neurodegenerative disorders, activation of the immune system has been shown to include the production of antibodies against disease-associated pathological proteins. However, the existence of mHTT-targeted antibodies has never been reported. In this study, we assessed the presence and titer of antibodies recognizing HTT/mHTT in patients with HD (n = 66) and age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n = 66) using a combination of Western blotting and ELISA. Together, these analyses revealed that antibodies capable of recognizing HTT/mHTT were detectable in the plasma samples of all participants, including healthy controls. When antibody levels were monitored at different disease stages, it was observed that antibodies against full-length mHTT were highest in patients with severe disease while antibodies against HTTExon1 were elevated in patients with mild disease. Combined, these results suggest that antibodies detecting different forms of mHTT peak at different disease stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélèna L Denis
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, T2-07, 2705, Boulevard Laurier, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
- Département de Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Melanie Alpaugh
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, T2-07, 2705, Boulevard Laurier, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
- Département de Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Claudia P Alvarez
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, MaRS Building Suite 700, 101 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5G1L7, Canada
| | - Alexis Fenyi
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, CEA, CNRS, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
| | - Roger A Barker
- John van Geest Center for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sylvain Chouinard
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montréal-Hôtel Dieu, Movement Disorders Unit, CHUM, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Cheryl H Arrowsmith
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, MaRS Building Suite 700, 101 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5G1L7, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ronald Melki
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institut François Jacob, MIRCen, CEA, CNRS, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
| | - Richard Labib
- Department of Mathematical and Industrial Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Rachel J Harding
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, MaRS Building Suite 700, 101 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5G1L7, Canada.
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Francesca Cicchetti
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, T2-07, 2705, Boulevard Laurier, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada.
- Département de Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
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Coffey SR, Bragg RM, Minnig S, Ament SA, Cantle JP, Glickenhaus A, Shelnut D, Carrillo JM, Shuttleworth DD, Rodier JA, Noguchi K, Bennett CF, Price ND, Kordasiewicz HB, Carroll JB. Peripheral huntingtin silencing does not ameliorate central signs of disease in the B6.HttQ111/+ mouse model of Huntington's disease. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175968. [PMID: 28453524 PMCID: PMC5409169 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease whose predominant neuropathological signature is the selective loss of medium spiny neurons in the striatum. Despite this selective neuropathology, the mutant protein (huntingtin) is found in virtually every cell so far studied, and, consequently, phenotypes are observed in a wide range of organ systems both inside and outside the central nervous system. We, and others, have suggested that peripheral dysfunction could contribute to the rate of progression of striatal phenotypes of HD. To test this hypothesis, we lowered levels of huntingtin by treating mice with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting the murine Huntingtin gene. To study the relationship between peripheral huntingtin levels and striatal HD phenotypes, we utilized a knock-in model of the human HD mutation (the B6.HttQ111/+ mouse). We treated mice with ASOs from 2–10 months of age, a time period over which significant HD-relevant signs progressively develop in the brains of HttQ111/+ mice. Peripheral treatment with ASOs led to persistent reduction of huntingtin protein in peripheral organs, including liver (64% knockdown), brown adipose (66% knockdown), and white adipose tissues (71% knockdown). This reduction was not associated with alterations in the severity of HD-relevant signs in the striatum of HttQ111/+ mice at the end of the study, including transcriptional dysregulation, the accumulation of neuronal intranuclear inclusions, and behavioral changes such as subtle hypoactivity and reduced exploratory drive. These results suggest that the amount of peripheral reduction achieved in the current study does not significantly impact the progression of HD-relevant signs in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney R. Coffey
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Robert M. Bragg
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Shawn Minnig
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Seth A. Ament
- Institute for Genome Sciences and Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey P. Cantle
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Anne Glickenhaus
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Daniel Shelnut
- Department of Mathematics, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - José M. Carrillo
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Dominic D. Shuttleworth
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Julie-Anne Rodier
- INSERM U1216, Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience, Grenoble, France. Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Kimihiro Noguchi
- Department of Mathematics, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | | | - Nathan D. Price
- Institute for Genome Sciences and Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | | | - Jeffrey B. Carroll
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Psychology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Gelderblom H, Wüstenberg T, McLean T, Mütze L, Fischer W, Saft C, Hoffmann R, Süssmuth S, Schlattmann P, van Duijn E, Landwehrmeyer B, Priller J. Bupropion for the treatment of apathy in Huntington's disease: A multicenter, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective crossover trial. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173872. [PMID: 28323838 PMCID: PMC5360242 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bupropion in the treatment of apathy in Huntington's disease (HD). METHODS In this phase 2b multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, individuals with HD and clinical signs of apathy according to the Structured Clinical Interview for Apathy-Dementia (SCIA-D), but not depression (n = 40) were randomized to receive either bupropion 150/300mg or placebo daily for 10 weeks. The primary outcome parameter was a significant change of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) score after ten weeks of treatment as judged by an informant (AES-I) living in close proximity with the study participant. The secondary outcome parameters included changes of 1. AES scores determined by the patient (AES-S) or the clinical investigator (AES-C), 2. psychiatric symptoms (NPI, HADS-SIS, UHDRS-Behavior), 3. cognitive performance (SDMT, Stroop, VFT, MMSE), 4. motor symptoms (UHDRS-Motor), 5. activities of daily function (TFC, UHDRS-Function), and 6. caregiver distress (NPI-D). In addition, we investigated the effect of bupropion on brain structure as well as brain responses and functional connectivity during reward processing in a gambling task using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS At baseline, there were no significant treatment group differences in the clinical primary and secondary outcome parameters. At endpoint, there was no statistically significant difference between treatment groups for all clinical primary and secondary outcome variables. Study participation, irrespective of the intervention, lessened symptoms of apathy according to the informant and the clinical investigator. CONCLUSION Bupropion does not alleviate apathy in HD. However, study participation/placebo effects were observed, which document the need for carefully controlled trials when investigating therapeutic interventions for the neuropsychiatric symptoms of HD. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov 01914965.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harald Gelderblom
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Torsten Wüstenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim McLean
- European Huntington’s Disease Network, Ulm, Germany
| | | | | | - Carsten Saft
- Department of Neurology, Huntington-Center NRW, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Rainer Hoffmann
- Department of Neurology, Huntington-Center NRW, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Peter Schlattmann
- Institute of Medical Statistics, Computer Sciences and Documentation, Jena Universityhospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Erik van Duijn
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Landwehrmeyer
- European Huntington’s Disease Network, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Josef Priller
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, DZNE and BIH, Berlin, Germany
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