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M Pfahl

Publications and source records attributed to M Pfahl.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

4-Hydroxyphenyl retinamide is a highly selective activator of retinoid receptors.

Retinoids have shown promise as anti-cancer and cancer preventative agents. All-trans-N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4HPR) belongs to a new group of retinoids that not only inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells but also can induce apoptosis in certain cancer cells. Because of its increased efficacy against cancer cells and its low toxicity it has been entered into a number of clinical trials. However, its mechanism of action is not known, and it had been assumed that it is not a true retinoid. Here we analyze its ability to function as an activator of nuclear retinoid receptors (RARs and RXRs). We observe that, in transactivation assays, 4HPR is a potent transactivator with RARgamma and a moderate activator with RARbeta but is not an activator with RARalpha and RXRalpha. Furthermore, RARgamma-selective transactivation by 4HPR is enhanced on some response elements and reduced on others when compared to natural retinoids. In contrast to transactivation, 4HPR in transrepression assays functions mostly with RARalpha, RARbeta, and RXRalpha. Optimal receptor activation is seen at 4HPR concentrations at which it is a potent growth inhibitor and inducer of apoptosis. We conclude that 4HPR is a highly selective activator of retinoid receptors. We propose that this selective activation of the nuclear receptors is likely to be the basis for its specific biological activities and its favorable pharmaceutical properties.

Anticarcinogenic Agents

An Alu element in the myeloperoxidase promoter contains a composite SP1-thyroid hormone-retinoic acid response element.

An Alu element preceding the myeloperoxidase gene (MPO) contains four hexamer motifs related to the consensus recognition sequence for nuclear hormone receptors (AGGTCA), arranged as direct repeats with spacing of 2, 4, and 2 nucleotides (DR-2-4-2). Gel shift experiments and transient transfection assays demonstrate that these sequences include binding sites for retinoic acid and thyroid hormone receptors and function in vivo to activate transcription of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. The first DR-2 elements of the series do not bind known receptors but do bind the SP1 transcription factor. Two alleles of the MPO gene exist that differ at one position within this element, resulting in one allele with and one without a strong SP1 binding site. The element with the SP1 site activates transcription by 25-fold in transient transfection assays, while the alternative allele confers severalfold less transcriptional activity. Most cases of acute myelocytic leukemia are homozygous for the allele with the SP1 binding site, suggesting this element plays an important role in regulating the MPO gene in myeloid leukemias. This MPO-Alu is a representative of an Alu subclass numbering approximately 400,000 copies, suggesting many genes may be regulated by such elements.

Alleles

A novel class of retinoid antagonists and their mechanism of action.

Retinoids regulate a broad range of biological processes through two subfamilies of nuclear retinoid receptors, the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and the retinoid X receptors (RXRs). Recently, we reported a novel type of retinoic acid antagonist (SR11335) and showed that this compound can inhibit retinoic acid (RA)-induced activation of a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) promoter construct that contains a special RA response element (RARE). We have now further characterized the antagonism mediated by SR11335 and of newly synthesized structurally related compounds. Two compounds, SR11330 and SR11334, which are poor transactivators, also showed antagonist activities, inhibiting all-trans-RA (tRA) and 9-cis-RA. The retinoids inhibited transcriptional activation of RAR/RXR heterodimers effectively, while inhibition of RXR homodimers was less efficient. Inhibition was observed on several RAREs, including the TREpal, betaRARE, apoAI-RARE, and CRBPI-RARE. In addition, the antagonists inhibited tRA-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. The antagonist did not interfere with DNA binding of the receptors. In limited proteolytic digestion assays, SR11335 induced resistance of the receptors to proteolysis, but the pattern of the degradation was not altered from that induced by tRA, suggesting that these antagonists induce their biological effects by competing with agonists for binding to RARs, thereby preventing the induction of conformational changes of the receptors necessary for transcriptional activation.

Animals

Potential role for retinoic acid receptor-gamma in the inhibition of breast cancer cells by selective retinoids and interferons.

Retinoids are known to inhibit the growth of a wide variety of cancer cells, including breast cancer cells. Advances made in recent years in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of retinoid action have allowed the design of retinoids with selective activities. Such selective retinoids are of particular interest, because they may reduce the number of undesirable side effects observed with natural compounds. Here, we have compared the growth-inhibitory activities of natural retinoids with various selective retinoids, including anti-activator protein (AP)-1 selective compounds on estrogen receptor-positive and -negative breast cancer cell lines. In addition, we have investigated cooperativity between selective retinoids and IFNs and have begun to analyze the pathways that these two different growth inhibitors use for antagonizing breast cancer cell proliferation. We observe that several selective retinoids can inhibit breast cancer cells as efficiently as the natural compounds. Anti-AP-1-selective retinoids are as effective as retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-beta/gamma-selective compounds. This lets us conclude that retinoid-induced inhibition of breast cancer cell growth does not require retinoid receptor transactivation. Several synthetic retinoids including anti-AP-1-selective compounds show synergism with IFNs. However, true synergism between the two different types of growth regulators was seen only when both classes of molecules were used at low concentrations. RAR-beta/gamma and anti-AP-1-selective retinoids, but not RAR-alpha-selective compounds, induced increased RAR-gamma mRNA levels. Interestingly, IFNs at elevated concentrations (100 units/ml and higher) also induced increased RAR-gamma expression. Thus, when used at high concentrations, IFNs may activate growth-inhibitory pathways overlapping with those activated by retinoids. Because increased RAR-gamma expression is induced by the two different classes of breast cancer cell inhibitors, it is likely to have an important role in controlling the growth fo these cancer cells.

Antineoplastic Agents

Effects of novel retinoid X receptor-selective ligands on myeloid leukemia differentiation and proliferation in vitro.

The biologic effects of retinoids such as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and 9-cis-retinoic acid on proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells are mediated by binding and activating two distinct families of transcription factors: the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and the retinoid X receptors (RXRs). The RARs require heterodimerization with RXRs; in addition, RXRs can form homodimers, which can bind to DNA response elements that are either distinct or the same as those bound by the RAR/RXR heterodimers. Therefore, the two retinoid pathways provide sequences that are specific for effective DNA binding and activation of target genes. We have developed several series of novel synthetic retinoids that selectively interact with RXR/RXR homodimers and RAR/RXR heterodimers. We show here that SR11236 and SR11246, which are RXR-selective analogs, had little ability to inhibit clonal growth and induce differentiation of leukemic cells (HL-60 cells and fresh acute myeloid leukemia cells). However, SR11249, SR11256, and LGD1069, which activated both RXR/RXR homodimers and RAR/RXR heterodimers, could inhibit clonal growth and induce differentiation of HL-60 cells as well as leukemic cells from patients, including those with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). This is similar to results observed with RAR/RXR-specific ligands. Interestingly, the combination of ATRA and either SR11249, SR11256, or LGD1069 showed synergistic effects in inducing differentiation of HL-60 cells. A retinoid (SR11238) with strong anti-AP-1 activity that did not activate the RARs and RXRs for gene transcription from the response element TREpal was inactive in our assay systems, suggesting that the antiproliferative effects of retinoids on leukemic cells is not mediated by inhibiting the AP-1 pathway. We conclude that the RAR/RXR pathway is more important than RXR/RXR pathway for differentiation and proliferation of acute myeloid leukemic cells, and certain retinoids or combination of retinoids with both RAR and RXR specificities may synergistically enhance the differentiation activity of ATRA, which may be relevant in several clinical situations.

Bexarotene

Retinoid actions and implications for prevention and therapy of oral cancer.

Squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity can be preceded by clinically obvious premalignant changes, and they have a high rate of incidence of development of second primary tumors. Recent studies suggest retinoids not only for the treatment of oral eukoplakia, but also for the prevention of second primaries. Although retinoids are promising therapeutic agents, their therapeutic potential has been limited by their undesirable side-effects. A complete network of nuclear receptors has now been identified that mediate the action of retinoids and can interfere directly with cell proliferation signals by interacting with transcription factors. It has recently been shown that retinoids with receptor-selective activities can be obtained that are likely to have fewer side-effects because of their restricted biologic activities.

Antineoplastic Agents

The receptor-DNA complex determines the retinoid response: a mechanism for the diversification of the ligand signal.

To obtain insights into the principles governing the complex biological responses to retinoids, we have analyzed the ligand sensitivities of various retinoid receptor-DNA complexes. We find that different retinoid receptor heterodimers show distinct activation patterns with various response elements while a given heterodimer can be activated at different retinoic acid concentrations on different response elements. In vitro binding experiments suggest that the same retinoic acid receptor-retinoid X receptor (RAR-RXR) heterodimer can have different ligand affinities, depending on the response element it is bound to. The differential responses of a particular receptor heterodimer with various retinoic acid responsive elements can be enhanced through the use of conformationally restricted retinoids. RAR- and RXR-selective retinoids can also synergistically activate the receptor heterodimers, indicating that both partners in the heterodimer can contribute to ligand-induced transcriptional activation. However, the relative influence of the RAR or RXR partner is specific for each response element. Together, our data demonstrate that it is the receptor-DNA complex and not the receptor alone that determines the ligand response. This flexibility allows for a highly pleiotropic retinoid response. Furthermore, conformationally restricted retinoids can accentuate the differential responses and exhibit a certain degree of gene selectivity by differentially activating the RAR or RXR component in the context of a given response element.

Animals

Regulation of metabolism by retinoic acid and its nuclear receptors.

It is now well established that the pleiotropic effects of vitamin A-with the exception of the vision process-are mediated by its acid derivatives. Although all-trans retinoic acid has been known for some time to be an essential regulator for many important biological processes, critical roles for other acid derivatives have more recently emerged. The acid isoforms affect a large diversity of biological systems, including embryonal cells, lymphoid cells, and nerve and muscle cells, as well as essential developmental programs. Retinoic acid signals are mediated by specific nuclear receptors, the RARs and RXRs, which are part of a complex signaling network, allowing for receptor-receptor and receptor-DNA interaction, as well as for receptor interactions with other regulatory proteins. Dissection of the molecular mechanisms has been significantly advanced by the discovery of selective retinoids that in contrast to most natural retinoids activate only defined portions of the complex retinoid response. Some of these novel types of retinoids are also very promising candidates for the development of new therapeutics. Thus, the molecular analysis of the vitamin A derivative retinoic acid has opened new perspectives that form a connection between nutritional signals and the development of new therapeutic agents.

Cell Nucleus

Conformational effects on retinoid receptor selectivity. 2. Effects of retinoid bridging group on retinoid X receptor activity and selectivity.

The natural retinoid 9-cis-retinoic acid is an activating ligand for both the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and the retinoid X receptors (RXRs), which are members of the retinoid/thyroid hormone/steroid hormone family of nuclear receptor proteins that activate gene transcription through specific response elements. The pharmacophoric groups necessary to confer RXR selectivity were established by evaluating the ability of 21 conformationally restricted retinoids to activate the TREpal retinoic acid receptor response element for gene transcription in the presence of one of the three RAR subtypes or RXR alpha. In contrast to those retinoids selective for the RARs, these RXR-selective retinoids have one less atom in the bridge linking the hydrophobic and carboxylic acid termini of the retinoid skeleton. Therefore, a one-carbon bridge replaces the 19-methyl group and 9E-double bond of 9-cis-retinoic acid and is further functionalized by inclusion in an isopropylidene group, a dioxolane ring, or a cyclopropane ring for optimal RXR alpha activity and selectivity. In addition, the beta-geranylidene and 20-methyl-(11E,13E)-dienoic acid groups of 9-cis-retinoic acid are replaced by a 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl ring and a 4-carboxylphenyl ring, respectively, for optimal activation and selectivity. RXR alpha selectivity is reduced on replacement of the 4-carboxylphenyl group by a 2-carboxyl-5-thienyl group or the 9-cis-retinoic acid methylpentadienoic acid terminus.

Cell Line

The orphan receptor TAK1 acts as a repressor of RAR-, RXR- and T3R-mediated signaling pathways.

Recently, we reported the cloning and characterization of the novel orphan receptor TAK1. In this study, we analyze the interaction of TAK1 with a variety of response elements (RE's) and demonstrate that TAK1 binds effectively to RE's composed of the core motif PuGGTCA configured in direct repeats spaced by one or more nucleotides. TAK1 bound poorly to palindromic or inverted palindromic motifs and was unable to bind to a single core motif, suggesting that a dimeric site is required for binding. Transfection experiments with CV-1 cells revealed that TAK1 is able to repress retinoid- and thyroid-hormone-induced transactivation through a subset of retinoid and thyroid hormone RE's. Our studies indicate that the antagonism of RAR-mediated transactivation does not involve the formation of heterodimers between TAK1 and RAR or RXR but is due to the competition of TAK1 homodimers with RAR-RXR heterodimers and RXR homodimers for binding to RARE and RXRE, respectively. Our results suggest that the orphan receptor TAK1 can be a negative modulator of the regulation of gene expression mediated by retinoid and thyroid hormone signaling pathways.

Animals

Similar ligand-induced conformational changes of thyroid hormone receptors regulate homo- and heterodimeric functions.

Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) bind specific thyroid hormone response elements (TREs) as heterodimers with retinoid X receptors (RXRs) and act as transcriptional activators. As homodimers, TRs can bind a distinct set of sequences and function as ligand sensitive repressors. In our study, we compared the natural malic enzyme TRE (ME-TRE) as a model system for the TR/RXR heterodimer pathway to the chicken lysozyme silencer element F2-TRE which is strongly bound and regulated by TR/TR homodimers. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, transient transfections with a variety of natural and synthetic triiodothyronine and thyroxine derivatives as well as limited proteolytic analysis, we show that the natural homo- and heterodimeric pathways show similar ligand requirements. Furthermore, we observe that the ligand-induced conformational changes in the receptor proteins that either result in a loss of TR/TR homodimer binding and release of transcriptional repression or in transcriptional activation of TR/RXR heterodimers are indistinguishable. Therefore, we propose that in TR/TR homodimers and TR/RXR heterodimers very similar moieties of the receptors are involved in ligand binding and subsequent conformational changes that lead to loss of gene repression (TR/TR homodimer) and gain of gene activation (TR/RXR heterodimer).

Animals

Regulation of H1(0) gene expression by nuclear receptors through an unusual response element: implications for regulation of cell proliferation.

Cloning and sequence analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the human H1(0) histone gene, a differentiation-specific member of the H1 family, has revealed several potential regulatory elements. In this study, we have characterized the interactions of nuclear receptors with an unusual response element consisting of two half-sites arranged as a direct repeat with an 8-bp spacer (DR-8). Thyroid hormone receptors (TR) bind this DR-8 as homodimers and heterodimers with RXR. Retinoic acid receptors (RARs) also bind as heterodimers with RXR to the DR-8, and this binding is enhanced in the presence of retinoic acid (RA) and/or 9-cis RA. Reporter constructs containing the DR-8 allowed a several-fold induction by T3 in the presence of TRs. RAR alpha and RAR beta allowed RA-dependent transcriptional activation whereas RAR gamma mostly increased basal activity. 9-cis RA inhibited the T3 response, indicating a hormonal cross-talk among the subfamily of nuclear receptors. Two orphan receptors, COUP-TF and v-erbA, also bind the DR-8 sequence in the human H1(0) promoter. COUP-TF, which usually represses RAREs, enhances transcriptional activation through the DR-8 whereas v-erbA completely represses TR-RXR induction of the H1(0) gene. Thus, a number of signaling pathways that play important roles during development and differentiation are able to influence the transcription rate of this special H1 subtype directly through a DR-8 response element in its promoter. Because H1(0) expression levels inversely correlate with cell proliferation, our data suggest that several nuclear receptors and the v-erbA oncogene can influence cell proliferation via the regulation of H1(0) expression.

Base Sequence

Thyroid hormone receptor-beta mutants associated with generalized resistance to thyroid hormone show defects in their ligand-sensitive repression function.

Thyroid hormone (T3) responses are mediated by two receptors, TR alpha and TR beta, that have been shown to require heterodimer formation with the retinoid-X receptors for effective interaction with most T3-responsive elements (TRE). In addition, it has been shown recently that one type of TRE, an inverted palindrome (IP) with a 4-, 5-, or 6-base pair spacer, can also bind TR homodimers with high affinity. This binding, however, is sensitive to T3, which suggests that TR homodimers could have important biological roles as T3-sensitive repressors. Here we have analyzed eight natural TR beta mutants associated with the syndrome of generalized resistance to thyroid hormone (GRTH). These receptor mutants are characterized by a variably decreased affinity for T3. We show here that their homodimer binding characteristics are altered. For example, kindred GH binds as a homodimer more weakly to DNA than wild-type (WT), whereas mutant PV forms clearly stronger homodimer complexes than WT even in the presence of TREs that bind WT receptor homodimers poorly. Although other mutants were able to bind IP-6 elements efficiently as homodimers, these homodimers showed a decreased sensitivity to T3 in accordance with their reduced affinities for the ligand. In vivo, six of the eight mutants were able to function as strong repressors on IP sites located 3' of the TATA box. Although T3 released repression by WT TR beta, the hormone did not release repression by some of the mutant receptors, and elevated concentrations of T3 were required to release repression by other mutants. Importantly, most of the GRTH-associated mutants were able to function as potent dominant negative repressors of WT in the homodimer pathway, whereas they showed little dominant negative activity in the heterodimer-dependent transcriptional activation pathway. Only one of the eight GRTH mutants, a deletion of the carboxy-terminus, was found to have a strong dominant negative activity on both T3 response pathways. Our data suggest a dominant negative mechanism of action for GRTH mutants that is consistent with their homodimer binding characteristics to IP-TREs and correlates well with T3 resistance in patients.

Animals

TOR: a new orphan receptor expressed in the thymus that can modulate retinoid and thyroid hormone signals.

Vitamin A and other fat-soluble hormones and vitamins have important roles as modulators of essential biological processes such as homeostasis, development, differentiation, and oncogenesis and also as regulators of the immune system. The active form of vitamin A, retinoic acid, as well as vitamin D3 and thyroid hormones exert their actions by binding to specific nuclear receptors that represent one subfamily of the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily. To identify new members of the retinoid/thyroid hormone receptor subfamily that could play a role in the immune system, a screening of a T cell cDNA library was performed using a retinoid X receptor probe. A clone was isolated encoding a novel nuclear receptor expressed mainly in the thymus and T cell lines. This new receptor, TOR (thymus orphan receptor), is most closely related in both its DNA-binding domain and ligand-binding domain, 90% and 53%, respectively, to ROR alpha/RZR alpha and clusters with these two receptors and RZR beta in a phylogenetic tree, when both the DNA-binding domain and the ligand-binding domain sequences of nuclear receptors are compared. Thus, TOR is part of a subgroup of receptors, one of which has recently been reported to be activated by melatonin. TOR binds specifically to a direct repeat of the half-site sequence 5'-AGGTCA-3' with a four- or five-nucleotide spacer, DNA sequences that also serve as binding sites for thyroid hormone (TR), and retinoic acid receptors (RAR). In transient transfection experiments TOR does not activate a reporter gene carrying these sequences in the absence or the presence of any known nuclear receptor ligands. TOR, however, is able to repress TR and RAR activity on DR-4-TREs or DR-5-RAREs, respectively. Therefore, our data suggest that TOR, similar to COUP-TF, can negatively regulate retinoic acid and thyroid hormone signals. However, the response elements recognized by TOR and COUP-TF differ as do the expression patterns of these receptors. Thus, one important role of TOR could be to modulate retinoid and thyroid hormone signals in the thymus.

3T3 Cells

Thyroid hormone receptor homodimers can function as ligand-sensitive repressors.

Unlike the steroid hormone receptors that bind their response elements as homodimers, thyroid hormone receptor (TRs) as well as retinoic acid receptors and several other receptors have been shown to require heterodimerization with retinoid X receptors (RXR) for efficient binding to most response elements. In this article we have compared in detail TR DNA binding and its gene-regulatory characteristics in the presence and absence of RXR. We observe that in the absence of RXR, TRs are able to bind with high affinity as homodimers to a subset of thyroid hormone response elements consisting of two AGGTCA motifs arranged as inverted palindromes. This binding is inhibited by T3, which prevents TR homodimers from functioning as ligand-dependent transcriptional activators. We demonstrate that TR homodimers can act as potent ligand-responsive repressors, in particular when binding to sites 3' of the TATA box. Thus, TRs appear to have important regulatory functions in the absence of RXRs. This is strongly supported by our observations that some naturally occurring TR beta mutants that have been associated with generalized thyroid hormone resistance as well as the v-erbA oncogene are defective in this activity. Thus ligand-sensitive repression by TRs is an important regulatory mechanism.

Animals

A new class of retinoids with selective inhibition of AP-1 inhibits proliferation.

Retinoids regulate many biological processes, including differentiation, morphogenesis and cell proliferation. They are also important therapeutic agents, but their clinical usefulness is limited because of side effects. Retinoid activities are mediated by specific nuclear receptors, the RARs and RXRs, which can induce transcriptional activation through specific DNA sites or by inhibiting the transcription factor AP-1 (refs 12-15), which usually mediates cell proliferation signals. Because the two types of receptor actions are mechanistically distinct, we investigated whether conformationally restricted retinoids, selective for each type of receptor action, could be identified. Here we describe a new class of retinoids that selectively inhibits AP-1 activity but does not activate transcription. These retinoids do not induce differentiation in F9 cells but inhibit effectively the proliferation of several tumour cell lines, and could thus serve as candidates for new retinoid therapeutic agents with reduced side effects.

Animals

A specific defect in the retinoic acid response associated with human lung cancer cell lines.

The effects of retinoic acid (RA) are mainly mediated by its nuclear receptors, the RA receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) that regulate target gene expression by binding to specific RA-response elements (RAREs). RAR beta is the best characterized RA-responsive gene. Due to the presence of a RARE (beta RARE) in its promoter, the expression of the RAR beta 2 is markedly increased in response to RA in most epithelial tissues, including lung. Recently, it was observed that the RAR beta gene is not expressed in a number of human lung cancer cell lines, suggesting a possible correlation between abnormal expression of the RAR beta gene and lung cancer development. In this study, we investigate the RA response in human lung cancer cell lines. Here we report that the expression of the RAR beta gene cannot be regulated by RA in the majority of human lung cancer cell lines examined, while the general response to RA is intact. The nonresponsiveness of the RAR beta gene results from different defects in the response mechanism. Interestingly, we find in some cell lines a differential responsiveness of the beta RARE such that the element is inactive in its natural promoter context but active when linked to the heterologous tk promoter. Importantly, we also observe that the presence of retinoid receptors is not sufficient for the induction of the RAR beta gene. This suggests that specific factors determine the RA responsiveness in the context of its natural promoter. Our observation that the RA nonresponsiveness of the RAR beta promoter is a common feature of human lung cancer cell lines suggests that balanced RAR beta expression is an essential feature for the maintenance of a normal state of lung tissue.

Blotting, Northern

A synthetic retinoid antagonist inhibits the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 promoter.

Retinoids regulate a broad range of biological processes and affect cell growth and differentiation of many cell types, including the immune system. Recently, it was reported that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) expression in macrophages is enhanced by retinoic acid (RA). Retinoid signals are mediated by the RA receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) that bind to specific RA responsive elements (RAREs) in the promoter region of susceptible genes. Here, we report on a RARE in the long terminal repeat (LTR) region that allows activation of the HIV-1 LTR. The RARE is composed of two consensus RARE half-sites (A/GGGTCA) arranged as a palindrome separated by 9 nucleotides and is activated by both RAR/RXR heterodimers and RXR homodimers. We show that the COUP (chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter) orphan receptors also bind to the HIV-1 RARE and repress the retinoid response of the HIV-1 RARE or the HIV-1 LTR. Furthermore, a newly discovered synthetic retinoid is shown to be a potent inhibitor of retinoid-induced activation of the HIV-1 RARE. These observations suggest additional approaches for the inhibition of HIV replication.

Animals