VOA慢速英語：心臟肌肉再生也許會成為可能
- 中英
- 英文
Regrowth of Heart Muscle May Be Possible
心臟肌肉再生也許會成為可能
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
這里是美國之音慢速英語健康和生活方式報道。
It may seem like a moment in a science fiction movie. In a fierce battle, a creature loses an arm but, then, grows another one to take its place.
這可能看起來像是科幻電影中的片段。在一場激烈的戰(zhàn)斗中，某種生物失去了一只手臂，然后又長出來另一只來取代它。
However, this is not science fiction. It is scientific fact. Some fish and amphibians, such as salamanders, can regrow lost limbs and organs.
然而，這不是科幻小說，這是科學(xué)事實。有些魚和蠑螈之類的兩棲動物可以重新長出失去的肢體和器官。
As mammals evolved they lost the ability to regrow, or regenerate, parts of their body. However, experiments show that it may be possible to regain that ability.
隨著哺乳動物的進(jìn)化，它們失去了再生身體某一部分的能力。然而，實驗表明它們有可能重新獲得這種能力。
Tropical freshwater zebrafish are popular pets. They are also popular as lab animals. Their embryos are clear, or translucent. They can regrow damaged fins, skin and hearts. Zebrafish are also genetically similar to humans.
熱帶淡水斑馬魚是一種很受歡迎的寵物。它們作為實驗動物也很受歡迎。它們的胚胎是透明或半透明的，它們可以再生損壞的鰭、皮膚和心臟。斑馬魚還和人類的基因相似。
In 2013, the website Sci-News reported that researchers had found that 70 per cent of "protein-coding human genes" are related to genes found in the zebrafish. The report also said that researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Britain also found that 84 per cent of genes known to be connected to human disease have a zebrafish counterpart.
2013年，《科技新聞》網(wǎng)站報道稱，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，70%的人類蛋白質(zhì)編碼基因同斑馬魚中發(fā)現(xiàn)的基因相關(guān)。該報道還稱，英國韋爾科姆基金會桑格研究所的研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn)，84%的已知同人類疾病相關(guān)的基因在斑馬魚基因中都可以找到對應(yīng)物。
These researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Nature. Sanger is a non-profit British genomics and genetics research institute.
這些研究人員在《自然》雜志上發(fā)表了他們的研究結(jié)果。桑格研究所是英國一家非營利性的基因?qū)W和遺傳學(xué)研究所。
So, it is no surprise that scientists at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania are using tiny zebrafish to regenerate severely damaged mouse hearts.
所以毫不意外的是，賓夕法尼亞州匹茲堡大學(xué)的科學(xué)家開始利用小斑馬魚來再生嚴(yán)重受損的老鼠心臟。
Scientist Wang Yadong is one of the Pittsburg researchers. He and his team are studying the ability of zebrafish to regenerate limbs and organs. Wang says you can cut away about 20 per cent of the zebrafish heart and it will regenerate. He add that same process may be able to help humans.
王亞東(音譯)就是匹茲堡大學(xué)的研究人員之一。他和他的團(tuán)隊正在研究斑馬魚再生肢體和器官的能力。王亞東表示，切掉斑馬魚大概20%的心臟，它會再生出來。他補(bǔ)充說，這類過程也許能夠幫助人類。
"So that amazing ability make(s) us think it's possible to borrow some of that repair regeneration mechanism and use that to help us to regenerate our heart."
他說，“這種令人驚嘆的能力讓我們聯(lián)想到，我們有可能借用其中一些修復(fù)再生機(jī)制，并利用它幫助我們再生人類心臟。”
Scientists injected an "extracellular matrix," or ECM, from the heart of a zebrafish into a severely damaged mouse heart.
科學(xué)家將一種取自于斑馬魚心臟的“細(xì)胞外基質(zhì)”注入嚴(yán)重受損的老鼠心臟中。
In biology, an extracellular matrix is a substance produced and released by cells that gives structural and biochemical support to surrounding cells. Think of ECM as cellular stuff that gives room and board to surrounding cells.
在生物學(xué)中，細(xì)胞外基質(zhì)是細(xì)胞產(chǎn)生和釋放的一種物質(zhì)，它能夠向周圍細(xì)胞提供結(jié)構(gòu)和生化支持。人們把細(xì)胞外基質(zhì)視為可以給周圍細(xì)胞提供“食宿”的細(xì)胞原料。
So, what did the researchers find?
那么，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)了什么呢?
They found that the heart muscle regenerated in days. They found something else. The healing was even faster when the ECM was taken from zebrafish that was itself in the process of re-growing damaged tissue.
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)老鼠心臟肌肉在幾天內(nèi)再生。他們還發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)細(xì)胞外基質(zhì)取自于自身正處于受損組織再生過程的斑馬魚時，愈合得更快。
Wang adds that if you had to choose between the two matrices, the "healing matrix" is more powerful of the two.
王亞東補(bǔ)充說，如果需要在兩種基質(zhì)中做出選擇，“愈合中的基質(zhì)”是其中更強(qiáng)大的那種。
"Between the two, the healing matrix from the zebrafish heart is even more potent than the normal one."
他說，“在這兩種基質(zhì)中，取自斑馬魚心臟的愈合中的基質(zhì)比正常情況下的基質(zhì)更為有效。”
A molecule called neuregulin 1 seems to play a major role in causing the regeneration to happen.
一種被稱之為神經(jīng)調(diào)節(jié)蛋白1的分子似乎在促使再生的過程中發(fā)揮了重要作用。
"We did see the zebrafish heart has more neuregulin 1 than the mouse heart. The healing zebrafish heart has even more than the normal. So, it does indicate that neuregulin probably plays a role but we have to do more study on that."
王亞東說，“我們確實發(fā)現(xiàn)斑馬魚心臟比老鼠心臟擁有更多的神經(jīng)調(diào)節(jié)蛋白1。愈合中的斑馬魚心臟又比正常情況擁有更多神經(jīng)調(diào)節(jié)蛋白1。因此這明確表明，這種神經(jīng)調(diào)節(jié)蛋白可能發(fā)揮了作用，但是我們還需要就此做更多研究。”
The next step will be to test the regenerative abilities of zebrafish ECM on larger mammals.
科學(xué)家們下一步將會在大型哺乳動物身上測試斑馬魚細(xì)胞外基質(zhì)的再生能力。
I'm Anna Matteo.
安娜·馬特奧報道。
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
It may seem like a moment in a science fiction movie. In a fierce battle, a creature loses an arm but, then, grows another one to take its place.
However, this is not science fiction. It is scientific fact. Some fish and amphibians, such as salamanders, can regrow lost limbs and organs.
As mammals evolved they lost the ability to regrow, or regenerate, parts of their body. However, experiments show that it may be possible to regain that ability.
Tropical freshwater zebrafish are popular pets. They are also popular as lab animals. Their embryos are clear, or translucent. They can regrow damaged fins, skin and hearts. Zebrafish are also genetically similar to humans.
In 2013, the website Sci-News reported that researchers had found that 70 per cent of "protein-coding human genes" are related to genes found in the zebrafish. The report also said that researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Britain also found that 84 per cent of genes known to be connected to human disease have a zebrafish counterpart.
These researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Nature. Sanger is a non-profit British genomics and genetics research institute.
So, it is no surprise that scientists at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania are using tiny zebrafish to regenerate severely damaged mouse hearts.
Scientist Wang Yadong is one of the Pittsburg researchers. He and his team are studying the ability of zebrafish to regenerate limbs and organs. Wang says you can cut away about 20 per cent of the zebrafish heart and it will regenerate. He add that same process may be able to help humans.
"So that amazing ability make(s) us think it's possible to borrow some of that repair regeneration mechanism and use that to help us to regenerate our heart."
Scientists injected an "extracellular matrix," or ECM, from the heart of a zebrafish into a severely damaged mouse heart.
In biology, an extracellular matrix is a substance produced and released by cells that gives structural and biochemical support to surrounding cells. Think of ECM as cellular stuff that gives room and board to surrounding cells.
So, what did the researchers find?
They found that the heart muscle regenerated in days. They found something else. The healing was even faster when the ECM was taken from zebrafish that was itself in the process of re-growing damaged tissue.
Wang adds that if you had to choose between the two matrices, the "healing matrix" is more powerful of the two.
"Between the two, the healing matrix from the zebrafish heart is even more potent than the normal one."
A molecule called neuregulin 1 seems to play a major role in causing the regeneration to happen.
"We did see the zebrafish heart has more neuregulin 1 than the mouse heart. The healing zebrafish heart has even more than the normal. So, it does indicate that neuregulin probably plays a role but we have to do more study on that."
The next step will be to test the regenerative abilities of zebrafish ECM on larger mammals.
I'm Anna Matteo.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
limbs –n. referring to arms and or legs
regenerate –v. to regrow after being lost or damaged
translucent –adj. permitting light to pass through
counterpart –n. something that does the same job as something else
mechanism a process or system that is used to produce a particular result
extracellular matrix substance produced by cells and released into the environment in which the cells are embedded; In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a collection ofextracellular molecules released by cells that provides structural and biochemical support to the surrounding cells.
room and board –idiom a place to stay and food to eat
potent –adj. active, strong
matrix –n. something from which something else develops
indicate –v. to show
role –n. the part something plays in a system
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