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新闻周刊:非洲基因对癌症研究很重要(2)

时间:2020-12-28 09:38:59

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(单词翻译)

Unpacking1 the Genome

解构基因组

As a Nigerian-born scientist specializing in genetics and health disparities, Rotimi foresaw the consequences of omitting Africans from genome studies years before many other researchers even noticed.

作为一名尼日利亚裔专门研究基因和健康差异的科学家,罗蒂米早在许多其他研究人员之前就预见到了将非洲人排除在基因组研究之外的后果。

And he was uniquely positioned to do something about it.

他处在一个独特的位置,可以为此做些什么。

Born in Benin, Nigeria's fourth-largest city, Rotimi first saw health inequalities in a big way in America.

罗蒂米出生在尼日利亚第四大城市贝宁,他第一次在美国看到了医疗的不平等。

He came to the U.S. for graduate school at the University of Mississippi, where many of the state's wealthiest families send their children, a trip that introduced him to his first Big Mac.

他来到美国密西西比大学读研究生,在那里,该州许多最富有的家庭都会把孩子送到那里,这趟旅行让他第一次接触到了巨无霸汉堡。

"I just couldn't eat it," he recalls.

“我就是吃不下”,他回忆道。

"I couldn't fathom4 the concept of bread, meat and leaves together."

“我无法理解面包、肉和菜叶混在一起的概念。”

Worse was the taste of inequality he got while traveling around the state.

最糟糕的是罗蒂米在密西西比州旅行时所感受到的不平等。

"That is when poverty speaks very loud, when you are in an environment with a lot of resources, but you don't seem to have them," he says.

“当你处在一个资源丰富的环境中,但你似乎一无所有,贫穷就会格外扎心,”他说。

He returned to Nigeria armed with a graduate degree.

他带着研究生学位回到了尼日利亚。

But after six months of job searching, he had yet to find an opportunity to do the research he knew was needed.

但经过6个月的求职,还没有找到机会做需要做的研究。

He returned to the U.S., eventually earning doctorate5 degrees in public health and epidemiology.

他回到了美国,最终获得了公共卫生和流行病学的博士学位。

Those years deepened his awareness6 of the importance of genes7 to health.

读博的那些年加深了他对基因影响健康的认识。

Life in Nigeria had already shown him that sickle8 cell disease was fated by birth, not by upbringing.

尼日利亚的生活已经告诉他,镰状细胞病是先天的,而不是后天发生。

Now, his research on hypertension among Africans around the world showed him that although lifestyle and the environment shape health, so does DNA9.

现在,他对世界各地非洲人高血压的研究表明,尽管生活方式和环境塑造了健康,但DNA也不可忽视。

As Rotimi was appreciating the power of genetic3 inheritance, scientists were on their way to sequencing the first human genome.

当罗蒂米正沉醉于基因遗传的力量时,科学家们正在对第一个人类基因组进行测序。

Tightly coiled inside the nucleus10 of every human cell, the genome consists of about 20,000 genes that encode proteins guiding the multitude of biological processes happening all the time in our bodies.

基因组紧紧盘绕在每个人类细胞的细胞核内,由大约2万个基因组成,这些基因编码蛋白质,指导着我们身体中每时每刻都在发生的众多生物过程。

Genes, in turn, are made of DNA, helical strands11 of compounds called nucleotides that contain chemicals called bases.

反过来,基因是由DNA,即核苷酸的螺旋链组成,核苷酸含有一种叫做碱基的化学物质。

These four different bases—known most commonly by the initials A, C, T and G—are the language of the genetic code that makes up each unique individual’s blueprint12.

这四个不同的碱基——最常见的形式是首字母A、C、T和G——是构成每个个体蓝图的遗传密码的语言。

A human genome—that is, the complete set of a person’s genes—consists of 3 billion bases.

一个人的基因组,也就是一个人的基因的完整集合,由30亿个碱基组成。

The Human Genome Project, which was completed in 2003—by then, Rotimi was teaching microbiology at Howard University, in Washington, D.C.—sequenced most of a single person's genome.

人类基因组计划于2003年完成,当时罗蒂米正在华盛顿特区的霍华德大学教微生物学——对一个人的大部分基因组进行测序。

The breakthrough wasn't so much the sequence itself but the technology.

这一突破与其说是序列本身,不如说是技术。

If research could match diseases or drug reactions to errant genes, doctors could tailor treatments around the unique genome of each patient.

如果研究能够将疾病或药物反应与出问题的基因相匹配,医生就可以针对每个病人的独特基因组量身定做治疗方案。

To arrive there, though, scientists had to study the small ways a genome varies from one person to the next.

但要实现这样的治疗,科学家们就不得不研究不同人的基因组的细微差异。

The tiny fraction of our DNA that differs, researchers thought, had to be responsible for many inherited conditions.

研究人员认为,我们DNA中微小的差异,必然影响着许多遗传疾病。

What they needed to study was not one genome but many.

他们需要研究的不是一个基因组,而是多个基因组。

They were looking for changes to single bases—a mutation13 from an A to a C, or a G to a T—among the 3 billion in a human genome.

他们正在人类30亿基因组中寻找单个碱基的变化——从A到C的突变,或者从G到T的突变。

These can occur when DNA replicates14, either when a baby is conceived or as cells divide during our lives.

这些可能发生在DNA复制的时候,或者是怀孕的时候,或者是在我们的生命中细胞分裂的时候。

These swaps15, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, pronounced snips), are often harmless but sometimes alter how a gene2 works, raising the risk for certain diseases.

这些突变称为单核苷酸多态性(简称SNP),通常无害,但有时会改变基因的工作方式,增加某些疾病的风险。

The wrong SNPs can render people more susceptible16 to Alzheimer’s, some blood diseases, male infertility17 and cancer, among other conditions.

错误的SNP会使人更容易患上阿尔茨海默氏症、一些血液疾病、男性不育症和癌症等疾病。

And once they're in the genome, they can be passed to the next generation.

一旦错误的SNP进入基因组,就会传给下一代。

Precision medicine is based on the idea that finding a culprit SNP can lead to treatments targeted against the gene in which that SNP sits.

精准医学是基于这样一种想法:找到罪魁祸首SNP,就可以针对SNP所在的基因进行治疗。

To find SNPs, researchers conduct association studies in which they compare whole genomes of many people.

为了发现SNP,研究人员进行了相关研究,比较了许多人的整个基因组。

After the Human Genome Project was done and the cost of sequencing genomes came down, these genome-wide association studies picked up the pace.

人类基因组计划完成后,测序基因组的成本降低了,这些全基因组关联研究加快了步伐。

But they suffered from a diversity problem: Almost none of them included African genomes.

但研究面临着一个多样性问题:几乎没有一个包括非洲基因组。

When those first few people left Africa 100,000 years ago, they took their inherited SNPs along with them.

10万年前,第一批人离开非洲时,他们带走了遗传的SNP。

But they left behind an enormous amount.

但是还留下了许多。

And the larger population that remained in Africa meant more genomes churning out variety, generation upon generation.

而留在非洲的更多的人口意味着更多的基因组,一代又一代地生产出各种各样的基因。

Because the ancestral trees of Africans have been branching out for so much longer than those of Europeans and Americans, they contain much more variation.

由于非洲人的祖先树比欧洲人和美国人的分支要长得多,所有产生了更多的变异。

In fact, African genomes are the most diverse of any on the planet.

事实上,非洲的基因组是地球上最多样化的。

"We compared European and Asian populations to each other," says Sarah Tishkoff, a geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania,

“我们对比了欧洲和亚洲的人口,” 宾夕法尼亚大学的遗传学家莎拉·蒂什科夫说,

"and they were more similar than any two African populations we looked at."

“他们比我们观察的任何两个非洲人都更相似。”

When it comes to genetic diversity, Africa has a 100,000-year head start.

在基因多样性方面,非洲领先10万年。


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 unpacking 4cd1f3e1b7db9c6a932889b5839cdd25     
n.取出货物,拆包[箱]v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等)
参考例句:
  • Joe sat on the bed while Martin was unpacking. 马丁打开箱子取东西的时候,乔坐在床上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They are unpacking a trunk. 他们正在打开衣箱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 gene WgKxx     
n.遗传因子,基因
参考例句:
  • A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
  • The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。
3 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
4 fathom w7wy3     
v.领悟,彻底了解
参考例句:
  • I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
  • What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。
5 doctorate fkEzt     
n.(大学授予的)博士学位
参考例句:
  • He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
  • Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士?
6 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
7 genes 01914f8eac35d7e14afa065217edd8c0     
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因,所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
8 sickle eETzb     
n.镰刀
参考例句:
  • The gardener was swishing off the tops of weeds with a sickle.园丁正在用镰刀嗖嗖地割掉杂草的顶端。
  • There is a picture of the sickle on the flag. 旗帜上有镰刀的图案。
9 DNA 4u3z1l     
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
参考例句:
  • DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
  • Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。
10 nucleus avSyg     
n.核,核心,原子核
参考例句:
  • These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
  • These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。
11 strands d184598ceee8e1af7dbf43b53087d58b     
n.(线、绳、金属线、毛发等的)股( strand的名词复数 );缕;海洋、湖或河的)岸;(观点、计划、故事等的)部份v.使滞留,使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 blueprint 6Rky6     
n.蓝图,设计图,计划;vt.制成蓝图,计划
参考例句:
  • All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
  • The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。
13 mutation t1PyM     
n.变化,变异,转变
参考例句:
  • People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
  • So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止,严格来讲,讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。
14 replicates 2cb25c60b573b908924058afde2ecd5a     
复制( replicate的第三人称单数 ); 重复; 再造; 再生
参考例句:
  • The bluetongue virus replicates in the insect. 蓝舌病病毒在这种昆虫体内繁殖。
  • The chameleon's skin replicates the pattern of its surroundings. 变色龙的皮肤可随环境的模式而改变颜色。
15 swaps 7852508deb41ee8610612c888aea2f12     
交换( swap的名词复数 ); 交换物,被掉换者
参考例句:
  • He swaps his old car for a new motorcycle. 他用旧车换了一辆新摩托车。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
  • Swaps the anchor and end points of the current selection. 交换当前所选内容的定位点和结束点。
16 susceptible 4rrw7     
adj.过敏的,敏感的;易动感情的,易受感动的
参考例句:
  • Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
  • We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。
17 infertility 37ExE     
n.不肥沃,不毛;不育
参考例句:
  • It is the Geneva, Switzerland-based Biotech Company's second recombinant infertility drug. 它是瑞士生物技术公司在日内瓦的公司生产的第二种重组治疗不孕症的药。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术制药疫苗
  • Endometritis is a cause of infertility. 子宫内膜炎是不育的原子。 来自辞典例句

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