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Okay.
好了
So what is the daf-2 gene?
那么daf-2基因到底是什么？
Well as you know, genes, which are part of the DNA,
正如大家所知，基因是DNA的一部分
they're instructions to make a protein that does something.
它们是经编码的指令，用于制造特定功能的蛋白质
And the daf-2 gene
而daf-2基因的编码
encodes a hormone receptor.
对应了一类激素受体
So what you see in the picture there
图片上可以看到的是一个细胞
is a cell with a hormone receptor in red
以及红色的激素受体
punching through the edge of the cell.
插在细胞的边缘
So part of it is like a baseball glove.
受体的一部分就像棒球手套
Part of it's on the outside,
外面的部分伸出去
and it's catching the hormone as it comes by in green.
当绿色的激素靠近的时候抓住这个激素
And the other part is on the inside
另外的部分在细胞内
where it sends signals into the cell.
向细胞传递信号
Okay, so what is the daf-2 receptor
好了，那daf-2受体向细胞里
telling the inside of the cell?
传了什么样的信号？
I just told you that, if you make a mutation in the daf-2 gene cell,
我刚刚说过，如果突变细胞里的daf-2基因
that you get a receptor that doesn't work as well;
就能得到一个功能不太给力的受体
the animal lives longer.
并且动物的寿命变长
So that means that the normal function of this hormone receptor
这就意味着这个激素受体的正常功能
is to speed up aging.
是加速衰老
That's what that arrow means.
就是图上箭头的意思
It speeds up aging. It makes it go faster.
总之会让衰老来得更快
So it's like the animal has the grim reaper inside of itself,
就好像动物的身体里有个死神
speeding up aging.
一直在加速衰老
So this is altogether really, really interesting.
总之这个结论就非常有趣了
It says that aging is subject to control by the genes,
结论就是，衰老是受基因控制的
and specifically by hormones.
具体讲是受激素控制的
So what kind of hormones are these?
这些激素又是什么样的激素呢？
There's lots of hormones. There's testosterone, adrenalin.
有很多种激素，比如睾酮和肾上腺素
You know about a lot of them.
你肯定知道很多
These hormones are similar
这些激素和我们
to hormones that we have in our bodies.
身体里的激素差不多
The daf-2 hormone receptor
daf-2激素受体
is very similar to the receptor
与胰岛素和IGF-1的受体
for the hormone insulin and IGF-1.
非常像
Now you've all heard of at least insulin.
至少大家都听说过胰岛素
Insulin is a hormone that promotes the uptake of nutrients
胰岛素是一种激素，在饭后促进
into your tissues after you eat a meal.
身体的组织吸收营养
And the hormone IGF-1 promotes growth.
而IGF-1这种激素促进生长
So these functions were known for these hormones for a long time,
这些激素的功能是我们长久以来就知道的
but our studies suggested
但是我们的研究似乎暗示
that maybe they had a third function that nobody knew about --
有可能有第三种我们未知的功能--
maybe they also affect aging.
或许也能影响衰老
And it's looking like that's the case.
而且看起来似乎的确是这样
So after we made our discoveries with little C. elegans,
所以在我们对秀丽隐杆线虫的小发现之后
people who worked on other kinds of animals
研究其他动物的研究员提出问题
started asking, if we made the same daf-2 mutation,
如果在其他动物身上造成同样的daf-2变异
the hormone receptor mutation, in other animals,
也就是激素受体变异
will they live longer?
它们也会更长寿吗？
And that is the case in flies.
在苍蝇身上，是的
If you change this hormone pathway in flies, they live longer.
如果改变苍蝇体内这种激素的传递方式，它们就会长寿
And also in mice -- and mice are mammals like us.
在老鼠身上也一样--而老鼠是像我们一样的哺乳动物
So it's an ancient pathway,
所以其实这是一个古老原始的传递方式
because it must have arisen a long time ago in evolution
一定在很久以前的进化进程中就出现了
such that it still works in all these animals.
这样才会让所有动物身上都有这样的效应
And also, the common precursor also gave rise to people.
而且，这些共同的实验前兆也引向到人类的衰老问题上
So maybe it's working in people the same way.
所以或许在人类中也同样适用
And there are hints of this.
确实有迹象表明这点
So for example, there was one study that was done
比如，曾有人针对纽约市
in a population of Ashkenazi Jews in New York City.
阿什肯纳兹犹太人做了研究
And just like any population,
和其他人群一样
most of the people live to be about 70 or 80,
大多数人活到70或80岁
but some live to be 90 or 100.
但是有的人活到了90或100岁
And what they found
研究人员发现
was that people who lived to 90 or 100
活到90或100岁的人
were more likely to have daf-2 mutations --
更有可能有daf-2变异--
that is, changes in the gene
也就是说，编码了IGF-1受体
that encodes the receptor for IGF-1.
的那段基因产生了变异
And these changes made the gene not act as well
这些变异让基因行为与正常基因相比
as the normal gene would have acted.
效果更弱一些
It damaged the gene.
相当于基因受损了
So those are hints
所以这些迹象
suggesting that humans are susceptible
表明人类对于控制衰老的激素
to the effects of the hormones for aging.
所带来的效果是很敏感的
So the next question, of course, is:
所以接下来的问题当然就是
Is there any effect on age-related disease?
这对与年龄相关的老龄病有影响吗？
As you age, you're much more likely
因为当年龄变老的时候，我们就更可能
to get cancer, Alzheimer's disease,
患上癌症，老年痴呆症
heart disease, all sorts of diseases.
心脏病，等等一系列的疾病
It turns out that these long-lived mutants
结果这些长寿的变异体
are more resistant to all these diseases.
对于这些疾病更有抵抗能力
They hardly get cancer,
他们几乎不得癌症
and when they do it's not as severe.
就算得了，也并不如本来应该的那样严重
So it's really interesting, and it makes sense in a way,
所以这很有趣，而且这样想来确实有道理
that they're still young,
他们的身体还年轻
so why would they be getting diseases of aging until their old?
所以为什么只有到老年，他们会得衰老的一些疾病
So it suggests
这就启发我们
that, if we could have a therapeutic or a pill to take
如果有疗法或者药片
to replicate some of these effects in humans,
来对人体复制这些减缓衰老的效应
maybe we would have a way
也许我们就有办法
of combating lots of different age-related diseases
一下子抵抗所有种类的
all at once.
老龄病
