在线英语听力室

科学美国人60秒 SSS 缓步动物的蛋白质可以保护DNA免受化学攻击

时间:2020-08-25 01:11:52

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'mSusanne Bard1.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学系列,我是苏珊娜·巴德。

Tardigrades are some of nature's toughest animals. Also known as water bears, the tiny creatures canwithstand extreme conditions, like boiling hottemperatures, long periods of dehydration2 and evenoxygen deprivation3.

缓步动物是自然界中最顽强的动物之一。这种小动物也被称为水熊,它们可以忍受极端条件,比如滚烫的温度、长时间脱水甚至缺氧。

"One of the really cool things about tardigrades is that you can shoot them into outer space, and they can survive the vacuum and radiation of the low-Earth orbit."

“缓步动物非常酷的一点是,你可以把它们发射到外太空,它们可以在低地球轨道的真空和辐射中存活下来。”

University of California, San Diego, biochemist Jim Kadonaga. Of course, he says tardigradesdidn't evolve to endure the perils4 of space travel.

加州大学圣地亚哥分校的生物化学家吉姆·卡多纳加说到。当然,他说,缓步动物的进化并不是为了承受太空旅行的危险。

"Many tardigrades live in environments that are both wet and dry, like moss5. And when it's wet, they're active. And when it's dry, they can go into a desiccated state that's something like astate of suspended animation6."

“许多缓步动物生活在潮湿和干燥的环境中,比如苔藓。当天气潮湿时,它们就会活跃起来。当天气干燥时,它们会进入一种干燥的状态,就像一种假死状态。”

Normally, dehydration would make tardigrade DNA7 susceptible8 to damage from chemicalscalled hydroxyl radicals9, which form when water molecules10 split. They also form when DNA isexposed to radiation. But Kadonaga suspected that a protein found only in tardigrades, called Dsup, might protect their DNA under both conditions. (Dsup stands for "damagesuppressor protein.")

通常情况下,脱水会使缓步DNA容易受到一种名为羟自由基的化学物质的伤害,这种物质在水分子分裂时形成。当DNA暴露在辐射中时,也会形成这种物质。但卡多纳加怀疑,在这两种情况下,只在缓步动物身上发现的一种名为Dsup的蛋白质可能会保护它们的DNA。(Dsup是“损伤抑制蛋白”的缩写)。

"And the remarkable11 thing about this Dsup protein is that when you put it into human cellsin the laboratory, it makes those cells more resistant12 to x-ray radiation."

“这种Dsup蛋白的特别之处在于,如果将其放入实验室的人类细胞中,它会使这些细胞更能抵抗X射线辐射。”

Kadonaga's team, led by then undergraduate student Carolina Chavez, studied how Dsupprotects DNA in cells. They found that it binds13 to chromatin, the compact structure that allowslong molecules of DNA to ball up and fit into a tiny cell. The researchers think Dsup acts as asort of chromatin insulator14, shielding DNA from attack by hydroxyl radicals. They conclude thatthe protein is likely the key to the tardigrade's extreme hardiness15 in conditions that wouldprove lethal16 to most other organisms.

卡多纳加的团队,由当时的本科生卡罗莱纳·查韦斯领导,研究了Dsup如何保护细胞中的DNA。他们发现,它能与染色质相结合,染色质是一种紧密的结构,这种结构能使DNA的长分子聚集起来,并适合一个微小细胞。研究人员认为,Dsup作为一种染色质绝缘体,可以保护DNA免受羟基自由基的攻击。他们得出的结论是,这种蛋白质很可能是这种缓步动物在对大多数生物都是致命的条件下保持极端耐受性的关键。

The study appears in the journal eLife.

这项研究发生在《eLife》期刊上。

Kadonaga says understanding the tardigrade's secret weapon may also inform biotechnologyand pharmaceutical17 research.

卡多纳加表示,了解缓步动物的秘密也可能为生物技术和制药研究提供信息。

"And so, now that we know how Dsup works, we might be able to use that knowledge to makedesigner versions of Dsup that can be used to potentially make cells more durable18 or longer-lived."

“所以,现在我们知道了Dsup的工作原理,我们也许能够利用这些知识制造出设计版本的Dsup,这种Dsup可以潜在地使细胞更耐用或更长寿。”

Thanks for listening for Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Susanne Bard.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是苏珊娜·巴德。


分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 bard QPCyM     
n.吟游诗人
参考例句:
  • I'll use my bard song to help you concentrate!我会用我的吟游诗人歌曲帮你集中精神!
  • I find him,the wandering grey bard.我发现了正在徘徊的衰老游唱诗人。
2 dehydration UYkzX     
n.脱水,干燥
参考例句:
  • He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
  • The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。
3 deprivation e9Uy7     
n.匮乏;丧失;夺去,贫困
参考例句:
  • Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
  • Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。
4 perils 3c233786f6fe7aad593bf1198cc33cbe     
极大危险( peril的名词复数 ); 危险的事(或环境)
参考例句:
  • The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
  • With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难?
5 moss X6QzA     
n.苔,藓,地衣
参考例句:
  • Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
  • He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。
6 animation UMdyv     
n.活泼,兴奋,卡通片/动画片的制作
参考例句:
  • They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
  • The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。
7 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。
8 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。
9 radicals 5c853925d2a610c29b107b916c89076e     
n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 );根基;基本原理;[数学]根数
参考例句:
  • Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句
10 molecules 187c25e49d45ad10b2f266c1fa7a8d49     
分子( molecule的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
  • Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里,大分子裂变为小分子。
11 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
12 resistant 7Wvxh     
adj.(to)抵抗的,有抵抗力的
参考例句:
  • Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
  • They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。
13 binds c1d4f6440575ef07da0adc7e8adbb66c     
v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 );装订;捆绑;(用长布条)缠绕
参考例句:
  • Frost binds the soil. 霜使土壤凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Stones and cement binds strongly. 石头和水泥凝固得很牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 insulator b50xs     
n.隔离者;绝缘体
参考例句:
  • Few substances can equal fur as an insulator.作为绝缘体很少有其他材料能与动物皮毛相媲美。
  • A loose mulch acts on the surface as an insulator.疏松的覆盖物在土壤表面起了隔热的作用。
15 hardiness Krwz79     
n.耐劳性,强壮;勇气,胆子
参考例句:
  • The technician was sent to measure the hardiness of the material. 这位技术员被派去测量材料的硬度。
  • It'seems to me that hardiness is the chief essential for success. 看来坚韧是成功的基本要素。
16 lethal D3LyB     
adj.致死的;毁灭性的
参考例句:
  • A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
  • She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。
17 pharmaceutical f30zR     
adj.药学的,药物的;药用的,药剂师的
参考例句:
  • She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
  • We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。
18 durable frox4     
adj.持久的,耐久的
参考例句:
  • This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
  • They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。