Transcript New monkey gene map may hold human clues ()

NO. 4
We are 食科3B
吳詩英 楊子靚
標淑媛 黃素真
Our news is
New monkey gene map may
hold human clues
• Researchers decipher rhesus macaque's
DNA, compare with human, chimp DNA
• Some genetic mutations that make people ill
seems normal for macaques.
• Rhesus macaque is third primate genome to
be completed
decipher 解釋
chimp 黑猩猩 (口語上的)
Scientists have unraveled the DNA of another
of our primate relatives, this time a monkey
named the rhesus macaque -- and the work
has far more immediate impact than just to
study evolution. These fuzzy，animals are
key to testing the safety of many medicines,
and understanding such diseases as AIDS, and
the new research will help scientists finally be
sure when they're a good stand-in for
humans.
Unraveled 不能明白的
evolution 演化
Fuzzy 有茸毛的
stand-in 參加
"The thing we're all fascinated with is what
makes us different from these animals who
are so close to us," said Dr. Richard Gibbs
of the Baylor College of Medicine, who led a
team of more than 170 scientists, including
some in Oregon, that collaborated on the
project.
fascinated 迷住
Oregon
俄勒岡人(俄勒岡是美國的ㄧ州)
collaborate合作
Among the most intriguing discoveries so far:
a list of diseases where the same genetic
mutation that makes people ill seems
normal for the macaques. "That is really
quite a stunner," said Dr. Francis Collins,
genetics chief at the National Institutes of
Health, which funded the research. "It gives
you a glimmer of how subtle changes in
DNA cause big trouble.“
intriguing 引起興趣的，有魅力的
list目錄stunner 驚人的東西; 震撼
Institutes 協會
a glimmer of 少許
subtle 精細的
The mapping of the human genome in 2001
sparked an explosion of work to similarly
decipher the DNA of other animals, so
scientists could compare species in the
effort to understand the functions of
various genes.
Sparked
點燃火花
explosion 爆炸
effort 努力，嘗試
The rhesus macaque is the third primate
genome to be completed, work that
promises to greatly enhance understanding
of primate evolution, perhaps even to help
explain what makes us human.
primate n. 靈長類 A mammal of the order Primates, which
includes the anthropoids and prosimians, characterized
by refined development of the hands and feet, a
shortened snout, and a large brain.
Not surprisingly, the DNA of humans,
chimps and macaques are highly similar.
Humans and chimps have evolved
separately since splitting from a common
ancestor about 6 million years ago, but
still have almost 99 percent of their gene
sequences in common.
chimp n. 黑猩猩 A chimpanzee.
Macaques branched off from the ape
family tree far earlier, about 25 million
years ago -- yet still share about 93
percent of their DNA with humans, the
new work shows.
Ape n. (無尾)猿 Any of various large, tailless Old
World primates of the family Pongidae,
including the chimpanzee, gorilla, gibbon, and
orangutan.
Here's the key: Six million years isn't
long in evolutionary history. So if a
particular gene is different in the human
and the chimp, it's impossible to know
which version came first.
Add these more ancient Old World
monkeys into the mix, however, and it
may be possible to tease out genetic
changes that were important for key traits
of modern humans, such as higher brain
power and walking upright.
rhesus macaques are ubiquitous in
medical research. Most vaccines and
many drugs are tested in the monkeys
before ever reaching people. And they're
used as models of many human diseases,
most notably the AIDS virus.
"As models, we expect them to behave
like us," noted Baylor's Gibbs.
ubiquitous 到處存在的,普遍存在的
Yet consider some of the differences
found so far:
• About one in 14,000 babies is born with
PKU, or phenylketonuria, meaning their
bodies can't process a protein found in
most foods called phenylalanine.
Without treatment, PKU causes mental
retardation. But in macaques, the gene
defect that causes PKU seems to cause
no harm, suggesting they may somehow
compensate in a way people can't.
Phenylketonuria (PKU) n. 苯酮尿症 A genetic disorder
Phenylalanine n. 氨基苯基丙酸 An essential amino acid, C9H11NO2.
It is necessary for growth in infants and for nitrogen
equilibrium in adults.
Retardation n. 遲延 Something that retards; a delay or hindrance.
The researchers found a list of such mutations, from
ones linked with cystic fibrosis to blood diseases,
that are bad news for people but seem normal in the
monkeys.
cystic fibrosis：囊胞性纖維症
Most involved metabolic disorders that in turn can
harm the brain, a link Gibbs found particularly
compelling.
metabolic：新陳代謝
disorder：混亂
in turn：依次
The monkeys had triple the number of genes as
people do to run one arm of the immune system.
immune system：生體內的免疫系統
That raises immediate questions about how they
react in vaccine or AIDS research.
vaccine：疫苗
AIDS：後天性免疫不全症候群
"It would make sense that a comprehensive
knowledge of their immune machinery should be a
part of those studies," Gibbs said.
make sense：有意義
comprehensive：廣泛的、綜合的
On the other hand, macaques had far fewer of a
family of cancer-related genes than either humans or
chimps.
macaques：獼猴、恆河猴
Gibbs said the work has importance for the animals,
too _ because knowing their genetic makeup should
cut the number of monkeys needed in many
biomedical experiments.
genetic ：起源的
makeup：構成
biomedical experiments：生物醫學實驗
"It's really about experimenting less and being able
to learn more," he said.
Stay tuned: More primate gene maps are on the
way, including blueprints for orangutans, gorillas
and gibbons.
primate gene：首要的基因
blueprint：藍圖
orangutan：猩猩 (= orangoutang)
gorillas：大猩猩
gibbons：長臂猿
The research project involved 35 institutions and
170 researchers, including scientists at the Oregon
National Primate Research Center.
institution：制度、習俗、機構
Scientists there provided DNA samples from
monkeys at the Hillsboro center and helped analyze
those samples to decode the rhesus genome.
provided：以…為條件
analyze：分析
decode：解碼
rhesus genome：(北印度產的)恆河猴 的基因組
Of the approximately 4,000 monkeys at the Oregon
National Primate Research Center, 3,600 are rhesus
macaque monkeys.
approximately：大概、近乎
The mapping of the rhesus macaque genome
promises to enhance understanding of primate
evolution, perhaps help explain what makes us
human, researchers say.
The end