A second mutation that makes people need less sleep has been foundA genetic mutation that allows people to feel fully rested with fewer than six hours sleep a night has been identified by studying a family who get by on less than average. It is the second such finding in recent months. Ying-Hui Fu at the University of California, San Francisco,and her colleagues have been seeking out and studying families in which some people seem to need less sleep than normal. They have been looking for the gene variants that might be responsible, and genetically engineering these variants into mice to confirm their effect. Her team has found several mutations make people need less sleep. In August, Fu's team reported that a mutation in a gene called ADRB1 allows 12 members of a family to sleep as little as 4.5 hours per night without feeling tired. This gene codes for a receptor protein common in a brain region called the dorsal pons, known to regulate sleep. Now the team has found a mutation in a gene called NPSR1 in another family in which some people report feeling fully rested after much less sleep than average. Of the two members of this family whose sleep habits they studied, one averaged 5.5 hours a night and the other just 4.3 hours. NPSR1 codes for a protein receptor in the brain known to be involved in arousal and sleep behaviour. When the team engineered the mutation into mice, they slept less without any obvious effect on health or memory. Another variation in NPSR1 has previously been linked to people requiring 20 minutes less sleep than average, based on studies of tens of thousands of people. On average, people need 8 hours sleep a night. In most people, sleeping less than 6 hours a night results in a marked decline in cognitive abilities within days. Over long periods, sleep deprivation can contribute to many disorders, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression. As far as Fu's team has been able to tell, however, people who sleep less because they have one of these gene variants are healthy and don't appear to suffer any ill effects. However, to be absolutely sure would require long-term studies involving large numbers of people, which isn't feasible. In theory, if these gene variants provided a big advantage,evolution should have made them common—yet they appear to be rare. It might be,say, that sleeping less only became an advantage after the development of lights. But other advantageous gene variants that appeared only recently in human history, such as those allowing adults to digest milk, became widespread very rapidly. It might be possible to develop drugs that mimic the effects of these mutations. However, as NPSR1 is also involved in processes such as stress, anxiety and fear, there is a risk of nasty side effects. Expect more reports soon. Fu say her team has already discovered more sleep-shortening mutations.(483words)
A second mutation that makes people need less sleep has been found
A genetic mutation that allows people to feel fully rested with fewer than six hours sleep a night has been identified by studying a family who get by on less than average. It is the second such findingin recent months.科學家通過對一個家庭的研究，發現了一種可以使人在每晚睡眠不足6小時的情況下得到充分休息的基因突變。這個家庭的成員每日睡眠時長低於平均水平。這是近幾個月來第二個針對這一問題的同類發現。
重點單詞
e.g.The disease is caused by a genetic defect.
這種疾病的起因是基因缺陷。
2.mutation[mjuː'teɪʃn]
e.g.Scientists have found a genetic mutation that appears to be the cause of Huntington'sdisease.
科學家們已經發現了一種可能是引起亨廷頓舞蹈病的基因變異。
3.average [ˈævərɪdʒ]
e.g.He is an average man, there's nothing special about him.
他是個普通人, 並沒有什麼異乎常人的地方。
（視頻：《21天搞定800+核心詞》上策詞-Unit2）
Ying-Hui Fu at the University of California, San Francisco,and her colleagues have been seeking out and studying families in which some people seem to need less sleep than normal. They have been looking for the gene variants that might be responsible,and genetically engineering these variants into mice to confirm their effect.加州大學舊金山分校的傅嫈惠和她的同事們一直在尋找和研究那些所需睡眠少於平均水平的家庭。他們一直在尋找可能起作用的基因變異，並通過基因技術將這些變異的基因植入老鼠體內以證實其作用。
重點單詞
1.colleague[ˈkɒliːɡ]
e.g.Without consulting his colleagues, he flew from Los Angeles to Chicago.
在沒有和同事商量的情況下，他從洛杉磯飛到了芝加哥。
2.variant[ˈveəriənt]
e.g.The quagga was a strikingly beautiful variant of the zebra.
白氏斑馬是一種極其美麗的斑馬變種。
3.responsible[rɪˈspɒnsəbl]
e.g.He still felt responsible for her death.
他依然覺得對她的死負有責任。
4.mice[maɪs]
e.g.Cats catch mice.
貓逮老鼠。
5.confirm[kənˈfɜːm]
e.g.X-rays have confirmed that he has not broken any bones.
X光片已經證實他沒有骨折。
重點詞組
1.less than少於
e.g. The marriage had lasted for less than twoyears.
這段婚姻維持了不到兩年。
Her team has found several mutations make people need lesss leep. In August, Fu's team reported that a mutation in a gene called ADRB1 allows 12 members of a family to sleep as little as 4.5 hours per night without feeling tired. This gene codes for a receptor(受體) protein common in a brain region called the dorsal pons(腦橋背側區), known to regulate sleep.她的團隊已經發現了幾種基因突變會使人們需要更少的睡眠。今年8月，傅嫈惠的研究小組報告稱，ADRB1基因突變使一個家庭的12名成員每晚只睡4.5小時而不會感到疲勞。這種基因為一種受體蛋白編碼，這種蛋白在大腦中的腦橋背側區域很常見，這一區域負責調節睡眠。
重點單詞
1.protein[ˈprəʊtiːn]
e.g.Fish was a major source of protein for the working man.
魚肉曾是勞動者的主要蛋白質來源。
2.regulate[ˈreɡjuleɪt]
e.g.Specification could be regulated as buyer's request.
指標可根據客戶要求進行調整。
Now the team has found a mutation in a gene called NPSR1 in another family in which some people report feeling fully rested after much lesss leep than average. Of the two members of this family whose sleep habits they studied, one averaged 5.5 hours a night and the other just 4.3 hours. NPSR1 codes for a protein receptor in the brain known to be involved in arousal and sleep behaviour. When the team engineered the mutation into mice, they slept less without any obvious effect on health or memory.現在，研究小組在另一個家庭中發現了NPSR1基因突變，一些家庭成員報告說，他們在睡眠時間遠遠少於平均水平的情況下，仍然感到精力充沛。他們研究了其中兩名家庭成員的睡眠習慣，一人平均每晚睡5.5小時，另一人僅睡4.3小時。NPSR1基因為大腦中一種參與覺醒和睡眠行為的蛋白質受體編碼。當研究小組把這種突變基因植入老鼠體內時，它們的睡眠時間減少了，但對健康和記憶力沒有明顯影響。
重點單詞
1.behaviour [bɪˈheɪvjə(r)]
e.g.Make sure that good behaviour is rewarded.
重點詞組
1.be involved in涉及
e.g.She wants to be involved in every area of your life.
她想參與入你生活中的方方面面。
2.effect on對……的作用
e.g. The illness had a profound effect on hisoutlook.
這場病對他的人生觀產生了深刻的影響。
Another variation in NPSR1 has previously been linked to people requiring 20 minutes less sleep than average, based on studies of tens of thousands of people.此前針對上萬人的研究發現，NPSR1基因的另一種變異與所需睡眠時間比平均少20分鐘的人有關。
重點單詞
1.previously[ˈpriːviəsli]
e.g.He had first entered the House 12 years previously.
12年前，他首次成為議員。
1.tens of thousands of 成千上萬的
e.g. They somehow contrived to lose tens ofthousands of applications.
他們精心策劃故意遺失了數萬份申請書。
On average,people need 8 hours sleep a night. In most people, sleeping less than 6 hours a night results in a marked decline in cognitive abilities within days. Over long periods, sleep deprivation can contribute to many disorders, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression.平均而言，人們每晚需要8小時的睡眠。對大多數人來說，每晚睡眠不足6小時會導致認知能力在幾天內顯著下降。長時間缺乏睡眠會導致許多疾病，包括肥胖、心臟病、高血壓、糖尿病和抑鬱症。
重點單詞
1.cognitive[ˈkɒɡnətɪv]
e.g.As children grow older, their cognitive processes become sharper.
孩子們越長越大，他們的認知過程變得更為敏銳。
2.deprivation [ˌdeprɪˈveɪʃn]
e.g.Millions more suffer from serious sleep deprivation caused by long work hours.
另外還有數百萬人因工作時間過長而睡眠嚴重不足。
重點詞組
1.on average平均起來
e.g.American shares rose, on average, by 38%.
美國股票價格平均上漲了38%。
2.contribute to 有助於
e.g. Heat, cold, tactile and other sensationscontribute to flavour.
熱、冷、觸覺和其他感覺構成了食物風味的一部分。
As far as Fu's team has been able to tell, however, people who sleep less because they have one of these gene variants are healthy and don't appear to suffer any ill effects.However, to be absolutely sure would require long-term studies involving large numbers of people, which isn't feasible.然而，就傅嫈惠的研究小組所知，那些因為擁有這些基因變異而睡眠較少的人是健康的，而且似乎沒有任何不良影響。但要想完全確定，就需要進行涉及大量人群的長期研究，這是不可行的。
重點單詞
1.suffer [ˈsʌfə(r)]
e.g.He suffered terribly the last few days.
他過去的幾天痛苦不堪。
2.effect[ɪˈfekt]
e.g.The advertising campaign didn't have much effect on sales.
這些廣告攻勢對銷售額並沒有起到多大作用。
3.absolutely[ˈæbsəluːtli]
e.g.Joan is absolutely right.
瓊絕對正確。
4.feasible [ˈfiːzəbl]
e.g.She questioned whether it was feasible to stimulate investment in theseregions.
她質問在這些地區刺激投資是否可行。
In theory, if these gene variants provided a big advantage, evolution should have made them common—yet they appear to be rare. It might be, say, that sleeping less only became an advantage after the development of lights. But other advantageous gene variants that appeared only recently in human history, such as those allowing adults to digest milk,became widespread very rapidly.
從理論上講，如果這些基因變異提供了一個巨大的優勢，進化應該會使它們變得普遍，但目前看來還很罕見。這可能是因為，少睡覺只是在燈光發明之後才成為一種優勢。但是其他有利的基因變異，比如那些允許成年人消化牛奶的基因變異，在人類歷史上只是最近才出現的，卻迅速傳播開來。
1.advantage[ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ]
e.g.She had the advantage of a good education.
她具有受過良好教育的有利條件。
2.evolution[ˌiːvəˈluːʃn]
e.g.Darwin's theory of evolution.
達爾文的進化論
3.advantageous[ˌædvənˈteɪdʒəs]
e.g.Free exchange of goods was advantageous to all.
商品自由交換惠澤八方。
4.digest[daɪˈdʒest]
e.g.Humans cannot digest plants such as grass.
人不能消化草類植物。
5.widespread[ˈwaɪdspred]
e.g.The plan received widespread support throughout the country.
這項計劃得到了全國的普遍支持。
重點詞組
1.in theory理論上
e.g.In theory, I'm on call day and night.
從理論上說，我現在晝夜待命。
It might be possible to develop drugs that mimic the effects of these mutations. However, as NPSR1 isalso involved in processes such as stress, anxiety and fear, there is a risk of nasty side effects. Expect more reports soon. Fu say her team has already discovered more sleep-shortening mutations.研究人員能夠開發模仿這些基因突變的藥物，但由於NPSR1基因也與壓力、焦慮和恐懼等情緒有關，因此有可能導致嚴重的副作用。我們期待不久之後能有更多的報導。傅嫈惠說，她的團隊已經發現了更多與睡眠時間短有關的基因突變。
重點單詞
1.drug[drʌɡ]
e.g.The doctor put me on a course of pain-killing drugs.
醫生讓我服一個療程的止痛藥。
2.mimic[ˈmɪmɪk]
e.g.She's always mimicking the teachers.
3.nasty[ˈnɑːsti]
e.g. I had a nasty feeling that he would followme.
我有一種極糟糕的預感：他會尾隨我。
基因決定睡多久
有人總是神採奕奕，有人卻不停地哈欠連天；有人睡一會兒就醒，有人卻需要「冬眠」。這可能是基因在作祟。近日，科學家針對數個家庭開展研究，發現了一個據稱與個體所需睡眠時長直接相關的新基因。2019年8月28日，相關論文發表於《神經元》。 「一般人生命中1/3的時間都用在了睡覺上，但我們對睡眠的了解實在太欠缺了。而這項研究的驚豔之處和開創性在於，它讓我們得以一窺大腦中決定睡眠和清醒的諸多複雜迴路和各種類型的神經元。」美國加州大學舊金山分校（UCSF）神經學家Louis Ptácek表示。 近年來，圍繞晝夜節律相關基因的研究成果頗豐，但談到對睡眠產生影響的基因（尤其是調節身體所需睡眠時長的基因），人們卻知之甚少。Ptácek與UCSF的遺傳學家傅嫈惠（音譯）同為本論文主要作者，兩人的研究涉及數個家庭，其中一個家庭中有幾位成員能在每天只睡6小時的情況下仍保持身心狀況正常。研究人員正是在對這個家族的DNA進行分析後找到了決定睡眠時長的基因ADRB1。隨後的遺傳連鎖研究和全外顯子組測序顯示這幾位成員的ADRB1基因存在一個此前未發現過的罕見變異。 研究人員發現這個變異基因編碼的是β1-腎上腺素能受體，而且它讓這個蛋白的穩定性變差，從而影響了受體的功能。也就是說，這個基因變異有可能在大腦功能層面產生影響。然後，研究人員用攜帶這一基因變異的小鼠進行了一系列實驗，並發現這些小鼠的平均睡眠時間比普通小鼠少55分鐘（攜帶該變異的人類則少睡兩小時）。進一步分析表明，這個基因在小鼠腦橋背側（腦幹的一部分）的表達水平很高，而這個區域負責的正是呼吸、眼動和睡眠等無意識功能。 研究人員還發現，這個區域內擁有正常ADRB1基因的神經元不僅在清醒狀態下較為活躍，在快速眼動（REM）睡眠期也較為活躍，只在非REM期處於靜態。而攜帶突變基因的神經元比正常神經元更活躍，這可能導致睡眠時間較短。 不過Ptácek承認，用小鼠進行睡眠行為研究存在一些局限性，例如小鼠的睡眠模式和人不一樣，它們的睡眠時間是碎片化的，而不像人類那樣在一個連續時段內睡覺。在未來的研究中，兩位科學家還計劃進一步探究ADRB1蛋白在大腦其他部位發揮的功能，以及到更多家庭中尋找其他可能相關的重要基因。*說明：文章段落來源於《New Scientist》，由MBA大師團隊修改編輯，僅作英語交流學習使用。若對發布的推文存在疑問，感謝您與我們取得聯繫，我們將及時回復處理。前方高能，高質量的廣告時間：在最後20天的關鍵時間段裡，
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