科學家稱他們可能發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種(保持)苗條的基因

科學家稱他們可能發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種(保持)苗條的基因

We all know the type. They can eat all they want, spend zero time at the gym and don't put on an ounce.

我們都知道這種類型(的人)。他們可以想吃什么就吃什么，在健身房鍛煉的時間為零，體重也不會增加。

Now, according to new preliminary research published Thursday in the journal Cell, scientists may have discovered the gene that helps these super-skinny individuals stay so slim, potentially opening up a new frontier in treatments to tackle obesity.

現(xiàn)在，根據(jù)周四發(fā)表在《細胞》雜志上的一項新的初步研究，科學家們可能已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了幫助這些超瘦的人保持苗條的基因，這可能開辟了治療肥胖的新領域。

An international team of scientists said they have identified a genetic variant unique to thin individuals in what's known as the ALK gene. The ALK gene makes a protein called anaplastic lymphoma kinase, which is involved in cell growth.

一個國際科學家小組說，他們已經(jīng)在已知的ALK基因中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種瘦人特有的基因變異。ALK基因產(chǎn)生一種叫做間變性淋巴瘤激酶的蛋白質，它與細胞生長有關。

They pinpointed the variant after looking at DNA samples and clinical data of more than 47,000 healthy people in Estonia between the ages of 20 and 44.

在對愛沙尼亞超過47000名年齡在20到44歲之間的健康人群的DNA樣本和臨床數(shù)據(jù)進行分析后，他們確定了這種變異。

"The Estonia biobank is very unique in its detail," said senior author Josef Penninger, a professor in the department of medical genetics and the director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of British Columbia.

英國哥倫比亞大學醫(yī)學遺傳學系教授、生命科學研究所所長、資深作家約瑟夫·潘寧格說：“愛沙尼亞生物數(shù)據(jù)庫的細節(jié)非常獨特。

"We looked at the genetic maps of people with a BMI [body mass index] below 18 and compared them with those of people of normal weight and found the [genetic variant] that correlated with being super skinny," Penninger said.

潘寧格說:“我們研究了BMI(身體質量指數(shù))低于18的人的基因圖譜，并將其與正常體重的人進行比較，發(fā)現(xiàn)了與超瘦相關的基因變異。”

The team then examined how the ALK gene functions in mice and flies.

然后，研究小組研究了ALK基因在老鼠和蒼蠅中的作用。

Stephen O'Rahilly, professor and head of the department of clinical biochemistry and the director of the metabolic diseases unit at the University of Cambridge, said the research was "not definitive" but "very interesting."

劍橋大學臨床生物化學系教授、代謝疾病研究室主任斯蒂芬·奧拉希利說，這項研究“不是確定的”，但“非常有趣”。

Thinner flies and mice

更瘦的蒼蠅和老鼠

Scientists already know that a mutated form of the ALK gene and protein can drive the development of cancer tumors, the study said. Mutated forms of the gene and protein have been found in non-small cell lung cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma and neuroblastoma, a brain cancer.

研究稱，科學家已經(jīng)知道，ALK基因和蛋白質的突變形式可以推動癌癥腫瘤的發(fā)展。在非小細胞肺癌、間變性大細胞淋巴瘤和神經(jīng)母細胞瘤(一種腦癌)中發(fā)現(xiàn)了基因和蛋白質的突變形式。

This new finding suggested a different mutation of the gene may play a role in thinness and resistance to gaining weight. To test this, the scientists conducted experiments on flies and mice and found that deleting this gene resulted in thinner versions of those flies and mice.

這一新發(fā)現(xiàn)表明，該基因的另一個突變可能在瘦身和抵抗體重增加方面起作用。為了驗證這一點，科學家們在蒼蠅和老鼠身上進行了實驗，發(fā)現(xiàn)刪除這個基因會導致這些蒼蠅和老鼠變瘦。

"We gave the mice (what amounted to) a McDonald's diet. The normal mice got obese and the ones without ALK remained skinny," Penninger said.

“我們給老鼠(相當于)吃了一頓麥當勞。正常的老鼠變得肥胖，而那些沒有ALK的老鼠仍然很瘦。”潘寧格說。

The team's mouse studies also suggested that the ALK gene instructs fat tissues to burn more fat from food.

該小組的老鼠研究也表明，ALK基因指示脂肪組織從食物中燃燒更多的脂肪。

He said that previous studies in much larger populations have shown a suggestive, but not strong, signal of an association with body weight in that area of the genome, and it was unlikely that the variation would be unique to Estonians.

他說，以前在更大的人群中進行的研究顯示，在基因組的這一區(qū)域，有一個暗示性但不強烈的信號表明體重與此有關，而且這種變異不太可能是愛沙尼亞人獨有的。

Penninger said that treatments targeting the gene might help scientists fight obesity in the future.

潘寧格說，針對這種基因的治療可能有助于科學家在未來對抗肥胖。

"If you think about it, it's realistic that we could shut down ALK and reduce ALK function to see if we did stay skinny," Penninger said.

“如果你仔細想想，我們可以關閉ALK并減少ALK功能，看看我們是否真的能保持苗條，這是很現(xiàn)實的，” 潘寧格說。