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進入《中英對照讀新聞》Cat’s eye view of DNA sheds light on human disease貓咪觀點的DNA圖譜 為了解人類疾病帶來曙光
◎胡立宗
The first full genetic map of a cat -- a domestic pedigreed Abyssinian -- is already shedding light on a common cause of blindness in humans and may offer insights into AIDS and other diseases, researchers reported.
研究人員指出，一隻純種阿比西尼亞家貓的完整基因圖譜完成後，有助找出人類常見的眼盲原因，甚至也可能有助於了解愛滋病或其他疾病。
And the cat genome shows some surprising qualities that cats and humans appear to have uniquely in common, the researchers report in the journal Genome Research.
貓的基因體具有某些驚人特質，而且是只有貓和人類才有的共通點，據刊登在「基因體研究」的報告指出。
The cat, named Cinnamon, is descended from lab cats bred to develop retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that causes blindness and which affects 1 in 3,500 Americans.
這隻名為肉桂的貓咪，父母都是實驗室動物，先天帶有視網膜色素變性病症─這種病是種會引發眼盲的退化性眼睛疾病，每3500個美國人中就有1人罹患。
Dr. Stephen O’Brien of the National Cancer Institute, who helped lead the study, said a study of her genes can help uncover some of the causes of the incurable condition and may help find treatments for it.
研究計畫主持人、國家癌症學會的歐布萊恩博士表示，分析這隻貓的基因可能有助於解答此一無法治癒疾病的成因，或許還能找到治療方法。
Cats also are important for studying other diseases, O’Brien said. For instance, they are the only animals besides humans who naturally become sick from immune deficiency viruses.
歐布萊恩博士說，貓對了解其他疾病也很重要。例如，除了人類之外，貓是唯一一種會感染免疫不全病毒的動物。
新聞辭典
pedigreed：形容詞，（動物）純種的。pedigree，名詞，家世、血統；形容詞，純種的。如 a man of middle class pedigree（小康出身的人）。
to shed light on：為…帶來線索、希望。This new evidence shed light on the serial killing.（新證據為連續殺人案帶來一線曙光。）
degenerative：形容詞，退化的、變質的。degenerative disease（退化性疾病）。
