肥胖熊的DNA可能引領人類肥胖治療的突破

肥胖熊的DNA可能引領人類肥胖治療的突破

Genes found in hibernating bears — who bulk-up during warmer months and miraculously sleep off pounds during the winter — bare a resemblance to those of obese humans, according to geneticists.

冬眠的熊在溫暖的月份體重會增加，而在冬季則會奇跡般地減重。

A new study published Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports says the discovery could now lead to weight-loss treatments for humans.

周二發(fā)表在《細胞報告》(Cell Reports)雜志上的一項新研究稱，這一發(fā)現可能會用于人類的減肥治療。

Researchers at the University of Utah are searching for a genetic treatment that would direct the body to mimic animal hibernation, which scientists hope might help mitigate weight gain and stave-off illness, especially metabolic disorders linked to obesity.

猶他大學(University of Utah)的研究人員正在尋找一種基因療法，可以引導人體模仿動物冬眠的狀態(tài)，科學家們希望這種療法可能有助于減輕體重增加和身體狀態(tài)不穩(wěn)定的情況，尤其是與肥胖有關的代謝紊亂。

“Hibernators have evolved an incredible ability to control their metabolism,” said Christopher Gregg, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology & Anatomy at Utah, in a statement.

“冬眠動物已經進化出了一種不可思議的能力來控制它們的新陳代謝，”猶他大學(Utah)神經學與解剖學副教授克里斯托弗·格雷格(Christopher Gregg)在一份聲明中說。

Genome sequencing in these animals led researchers to uncover specific gene regions designed to turn-off the body’s appetite and control insulin resistance, which were located in the same region as humans’ obesity genes would be — indicating that a targeted genetic treatment could help humans enjoy the similar effects.

通過對這些動物的基因組測序，研究人員發(fā)現了一些特定的基因區(qū)域，這些區(qū)域被設計用來抑制人體食欲和控制胰島素抵抗，這些基因區(qū)域與人類的肥胖基因位于同一區(qū)域——這表明一種有針對性的基因治療可以幫助人類享受到類似的效果。

“Since obesity and metabolism shape risks for so many different diseases, the discovery of these parts of the genome is a really exciting insight that lays foundations for many important new research directions,” said Gregg.

Gregg說:“既然肥胖和新陳代謝決定了這么多不同疾病的風險，基因組這些部分的發(fā)現是一個非常令人興奮的發(fā)現，它為許多重要的新研究方向奠定了基礎。”

Scientists have long been perplexed by this mysterious defense mechanism.

科學家們一直對這種神秘的防御機制感到困惑。

During the summer, hibernating animals, such as bears, squirrels, bats, lemurs and hedgehogs — all of which were included in the current study — eat around the clock. This process is followed by a period of mostly sleep: no eating, drinking or relieving the bowels or bladder. Their heart rate plummets from 60 beats per minute to just 10, and their blood nitrogen levels skyrocket without causing endocrine disaster.

在夏天，冬眠的動物，如熊、松鼠、蝙蝠、狐猴和刺猬——所有這些都包括在當前的研究中——都在晝夜不停地吃東西。這個過程之后是一段主要是睡眠的時間:不吃、不喝、不排便、不排尿。他們的心率從每分鐘60次下降到10次，他們的血氮水平飆升而不會造成內分泌災難。

But unlike humans — who risk developing diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s as a result of obesity and inactivity — the animals emerge from their burrow in top form.

但與人類不同的是，動物們從洞穴里出來的時候都處于最佳狀態(tài)，因為人類肥胖和缺乏活動，可能會患上糖尿病、癌癥和阿爾茨海默氏癥。

Gregg and his peers on the study believe that hibernators have a “biological superpower” that puts genes associated with obesity to sleep along with their hosts, making their bodies less vulnerable to the effects of idleness. They hope to harness this pound-shedding power using CRISPR.

Gregg和他的同事在研究中認為，冬眠動物有一種“生物超能力”，能讓與肥胖有關的基因和它們的主人一起睡覺，使它們的身體不那么容易受到懶惰的影響。他們希望利用CRISPR來利用這種減少體重的力量。

“Metabolism shapes risks for a lot of different diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease,” says Gregg. “We believe that understanding the parts of the genome that are linked to hibernation will help us learn to control risks for some these major diseases.”

“新陳代謝決定了許多不同疾病的風險，包括肥胖、2型糖尿病、癌癥和阿爾茨海默病，”Gregg說。“我們相信，了解與冬眠有關的基因組部分將幫助我們學會控制某些重大疾病的風險。”

Authors note that hibernators actually do develop diabetes, but only temporarily. They resume producing insulin at a healthy rate upon waking in the spring. Not only do these animals maintain their muscle mass during winter, they actually get stronger from the weight gain.

作者指出，冬眠者確實會患上糖尿病，但只是暫時的。在春天醒來后，它們會以健康的速度重新產生胰島素。這些動物不僅能在冬天保持肌肉量，還能因為體重增加而變得更強壯。

So unfair.

太不公平了。