Aphids Pilfered Red Genes from Fungus
Aphids can be a gardener’s nightmare. But they may be an evolutionary biologist’s dream. Because they’re pioneers in the history of life on Earth. For one thing, they’re now the only known animals to produce the chemical pigments called carotenoids, which help in cell repair and immunity. It’s the same stuff that makes tomatoes red.
蚜虫是园艺师的噩梦，却也可以是进化生物学家的美梦，因为这些蚜虫是地球生命史上的先锋。一则，它们是已知唯一一种可以产生类胡萝卜素这种化学颜料的生物。类胡萝卜素能帮助细胞修复及免疫，也是番茄之所以为红色的原因。
More impressive, aphids got their ability to make carotenoids through a major shortcut. Millions of years back, they apparently grabbed the genes for making carotenoids directly from a carotenoid-producing fungus. And then incorporated those genes into the aphid genome. That’s according to a study in the April 30th issue of the journal Science. [Nancy Moran and Tyler Jarvik, R4t]
更令人印象深刻的是蚜虫是走捷径才能产生类胡萝卜素的。几百万年前，蚜虫似乎是直接从产生类胡萝卜素的菌类身上拿走了产生类胡萝卜素的基因，再把这种基因合并到自己的基因组中。4月30号《科学》上的一篇研究就是这么说的。
Such a pickup is technically called horizontal or lateral gene transfer. And it’s not unique—among closely related organisms. But the fungi-to-aphid transfer took place between representatives of two completely different taxonomic kingdoms. The researchers conjecture that aphids might have pilfered the genes from a fungus that was infecting them. That’s really taking lemons and making lemonade. Which in this case would definitely be pink.
学术上称这种搭便车的方式为水平或侧向基因转移，这种现象在密切相关的有机体之间并不特殊，然而从菌类到蚜虫的转移却是发生在两种完全不同类别的物种身上。研究者推测可能是菌类感染了蚜虫，蚜虫才得到了这种基因。这可真是拿到了酸柠檬却做成了酸甜的柠檬汁，只不过在这个例子中柠檬汁肯定是粉红色的（译者注：指类胡萝卜素）。
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