肥胖熊的DNA可能引领人类肥胖治疗的突破

肥胖熊的DNA可能引领人类肥胖治疗的突破

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.

冬眠的熊在温暖的月份体重会增加，而在冬季则会奇迹般地减重。

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

周二发表在《细胞报告》(Cell Reports)杂志上的一项新研究称，这一发现可能会用于人类的减肥治疗。

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.

犹他大学(University of Utah)的研究人员正在寻找一种基因疗法，可以引导人体模仿动物冬眠的状态，科学家们希望这种疗法可能有助于减轻体重增加和身体状态不稳定的情况，尤其是与肥胖有关的代谢紊乱。

“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.

“冬眠动物已经进化出了一种不可思议的能力来控制它们的新陈代谢，”犹他大学(Utah)神经学与解剖学副教授克里斯托弗·格雷格(Christopher Gregg)在一份声明中说。

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.

通过对这些动物的基因组测序，研究人员发现了一些特定的基因区域，这些区域被设计用来抑制人体食欲和控制胰岛素抵抗，这些基因区域与人类的肥胖基因位于同一区域——这表明一种有针对性的基因治疗可以帮助人类享受到类似的效果。

“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说:“既然肥胖和新陈代谢决定了这么多不同疾病的风险，基因组这些部分的发现是一个非常令人兴奋的发现，它为许多重要的新研究方向奠定了基础。”

Scientists have long been perplexed by this mysterious defense mechanism.

科学家们一直对这种神秘的防御机制感到困惑。

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，冬眠的动物，如熊、松鼠、蝙蝠、狐猴和刺猬——所有这些都包括在当前的研究中——都在昼夜不停地吃东西。这个过程之后是一段主要是睡眠的时间:不吃、不喝、不排便、不排尿。他们的心率从每分钟60次下降到10次，他们的血氮水平飙升而不会造成内分泌灾难。

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.

但与人类不同的是，动物们从洞穴里出来的时候都处于最佳状态，因为人类肥胖和缺乏活动，可能会患上糖尿病、癌症和阿尔茨海默氏症。

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认为，冬眠动物有一种“生物超能力”，能让与肥胖有关的基因和它们的主人一起睡觉，使它们的身体不那么容易受到懒惰的影响。他们希望利用CRISPR来利用这种减少体重的力量。

“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.”

“新陈代谢决定了许多不同疾病的风险，包括肥胖、2型糖尿病、癌症和阿尔茨海默病，”Gregg说。“我们相信，了解与冬眠有关的基因组部分将帮助我们学会控制某些重大疾病的风险。”

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，冬眠者确实会患上糖尿病，但只是暂时的。在春天醒来后，它们会以健康的速度重新产生胰岛素。这些动物不仅能在冬天保持肌肉量，还能因为体重增加而变得更强壮。

So unfair.

太不公平了。