细胞（2009）（3）

that one man has taken the first steps.
他是乔治·丘奇,哈佛遗传学教授
'His name is George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard.
他同时兼任数十家生物科技公♥司♥的顾问
'He's also adviser to more than a dozen bio-tech companies.
这家伙是个非常聪明的人
'This guy is one seriously smart cookie.'
让你们整天不得闲,对吗？-我们一直很忙,乔治
Keeping you busy, aren't we? We're always busy, George!
乔治九岁时,就会装计算机了
'By the age of nine, Church had built his first computer.
数十年后,作为一名技术专家
'Decades later, ever the technical whizz,
他运用计算机和遗传学知识,分♥析♥活细胞中的数千种成分
'he's using computers and genetics to analyse some of the thousands
并探索其中一些的具体功能
'of components of living cells and discover exactly what they do.
他已经监别了151种主要成份
'He's identified 151 essential components,
他认为,这些成份是构建一个活细胞所需要的最基本成份
'which he believes are the minimum you need to create a living cell.
从本质上讲,丘奇和他的团队认为,他们的工作
'In essence, what Church and his team think they've done
就是为生命本身建构一幅蓝图
'is designed a blueprint for life itself.'
那么乔治,我们花了很长时间才走到了今天这一步
Well, George, we've been on a long trip to get to this point,
但这无疑是我见过的最复杂的图表了
but this is definitely the most complicated diagram I've seen.
我甚至不知道从哪里开始看,它说明了什么
I don't even know where to start! What are we looking at here?
数千名科学家,耗费了数十年
Thousands of scientists over decades,
将细胞拆分细解
have, by taking apart the cell into its pieces,
运用类似简化法的方法,探寻各个组成部份的工作原理
and showing how each one works, sort of a reductionist approach,
最终才获得了这些结论
have accumulated this information.
而我们现在所做的,是将之前的整个过程逆转
But all we're doing is we're now reversing that process
运用我们所掌握的知识,将它变成
and taking all that knowledge and turning it into something
一个工厂,一个基于先前所有结论与知识的工厂
where we can make a factory that's based on all that prior knowledge.
能把这些都画在一张图上,确实不错
It's nice to get it on one page where you can actually see
这样就能直接看到这些组分的形状,就好像你看一辆汽车马达一样
the shape of these things the same way that you would a motor.
它将事物分解开,而你又将它们放回到一起
It's taking things apart and you put them back together.
你们把它们看作是汽车零件？
Do you think of them in terms of car parts?
是的,我们正尝试构建真正的系统来促进整个领域
We do. We're trying to make practical systems that help society,
因为我们现在了解它们的结构
and since we now know what their structures look like
了解了它们各自的功能
and we know which ones we need to do which tasks,
所以一想到我们能设计每个部分,能设计整个系统
it's very appealing to think of it as, we can engineer each part
这确实很诱人啊
and we can engineer the whole system.
如果它们的特性不符合你的要求,你可以重新设计它
If they don't have the properties you want, you can redesign it
你可以让它在实验室里演化
and you can evolve it in the lab,
让它们更符合你的要求
and you can make them better for your purposes.
稍等一下,仔细再听一遍乔治的话
Hang on a second - just listen again to what George said.
我们能设计每一部分,也能设计整个系统
We can engineer each part and we can engineer the whole system.
如果它们的特性不符合你的要求,你可以重新设计它
If they don't have the properties you want, you can redesign it,
你可以让它在实验室里演化
and you can evolve it in the lab,
让它们更符合你的要求
and you can make them better for your purposes.
乔治说,设计整个系统
'When George says, "Engineer the whole system,"
这是他的行话,意思就是 "在实验室里创造新生命"
'that's his geek-speak for, "Build a new life form in the lab."
对此我心怀敬畏
'I'm in awe.
不过要想在实验室里构建一个人工细胞
'But to build this synthetic cell in the lab,
乔治清楚,还有一个主要成分需要破译
'there's one essential component George knew he'd have to crack...
那就是核醣体,细胞的蛋白质工厂
'..the ribosome, the cell's protein factory.
它阅读以DNA密♥码♥书写的指令
'The bit that reads the instructions written in the DNA code,
并以此合成蛋白质分子,赋予细胞生命
'and actually builds the protein molecules that makes cells alive.
它是自然界最精妙的奈米级机器
'It's nature's most exquisite nanomachine.'
愈来愈多的发现,证实了核醣体是生命的关键组分
More and more indication this is the key component of life.
它是细胞最古老的成分之一
It's one of the most ancient components,
也是最保守的成分之一
it's one of the most conserved,
这意味着,它是为数不多的在所有生命中都存在的组分之一
meaning it's one of the only things that's present in all types
因此,你现在重新回到这里
of living things, and so you just keep coming back to this.
这是一个关键部分
This is the key part.
简单地说,没有核醣体,就没有生命
'Put simply, no ribosome, no life.
因此,它也是人造细胞中的关键组分
'So it'll be a crucial component of any synthetic cell.
问题是,核醣体本身源自大自然的鬼斧神工
'Trouble is, it's a staggering feat of natural engineering.
它由57个功能部件,用来完成旋转、抓取和移♥动♥等动作
'It has 57 parts that rotate, grab and shift,
而这些部件总共有近100万个分子构成
'together made of almost a million atoms.
因此怎样才能在实验室中合成它呢？
'So how could you possibly make one in a lab?'
构建核醣体可不像是做飞机模型
You can't build a ribosome like a model aeroplane.
我们所说的分子非常非常小
We're talking about a molecule so small that you could fit
一支削尖的铅笔头上,可以放下好几万个分子
tens of thousands of them on the tip of a sharpened pencil.
用镊子是无法夹起来的
Tweezers don't come that small.
因此,我们还得回到大自然所用的方法上
So we have to return to the way that nature does it,
去找找我们的老朋友DNA
and our old friend, DNA.
当然,DNA中包含着指令
'Of course, DNA contains the instructions
用来在细胞里合成核醣体
'to build the ribosomes within cells.
因此乔治在实验室中,用DNA来完成这项工作
'So George has used DNA to do it for him in the lab.
今天,我要自己合成一个核醣体,加油！
'Today, I'm going to build a ribosome myself. Brace yourselves!
首先,你需要得到含有正确指令的DNA链
'First you need the strand of DNA with the right instructions.
这台聪明的仪器能合成你所需要的DNA链
'This clever machine here can make it synthetically.
我只需要输入正确的遗传密♥码♥字母(A T C G)
'I simply have to enter the right letters of the genetic code
仪器便会一个碱基一个碱基地合成DNA链
'and it assembles the DNA, molecule by molecule.
神奇啊
'Magic.
这一部分还算简单,接下来
'That's the easy bit. Now we have to put together
我们要将DNA用来合成核醣体所需要的分子,精确地混合到一起
'the exact mixture of molecules the DNA needs to make a ribosome.
为了获得合适的混合液,乔治与无数其他科学家们
'To create this has taken decades of work by George
为此研究了数十年
'and thousands of other scientists.'
这是我们合成的DNA,我们接下来怎么做？
This is the DNA that we've synthesised. How do we do it?
拿起移液器,加入正确体积的液体
Just pick up the pipette and add the predetermined volume.
就这样
As simple as that?
我要做的,就是在乔治的监督下
'All I have to do, with a little supervision from George,
完成这个神奇过程的最后一步
'is the last stage in this remarkable process -
将DNA加入到乔治的核醣体混合液中
'add the DNA to George's ribosome mixture.
现在离合成人工核醣体,只差最后一步了
'I'm now just one step away from creating a synthetic ribosome,
这一步不是由细胞来完成的
'one that hasn't been created by a cell.
纵观整个地球生命史
'This lab is the only place this has been achieved
只有这个实验室做到了这一步
'during the entire history of life on Earth.
而且这一过程是首次被拍摄
'And it's certainly never been filmed before.'
好,将1.25微升的核醣体DNA
All right, so that's 1.25 microlitres...
加入到这个混合液中
of ribosome DNA, and that's going into this mix
混合液中含有制♥造♥核醣体所需所有成份,对吗？
which contains everything else to make a ribosome. Right?
对
That's right.
根据指导,我正在完成
So, basically, I'm taking the instructions to finish
核醣体的合成,并把它们加入混合液中
making the ribosome and adding them to the rest of the mix.
是合成DNA来制♥造♥核醣体
Synthetic DNA will make the ribosome.
好了,就是这样,完成了,看起来很轻松
OK. That's it. It's done. So it doesn't look like much,
看起来只是15微升的无色液体
it looks like about 15 microlitres of colourless liquid.
但实际上,里面含有所需要的所有成份
But what actually is in here is all the ingredients
用来制♥造♥人工核醣体
to make a synthetic ribosome,
以及一套用来解译DNA密♥码♥
the piece of machinery that's going to translate the code
合成活性蛋白质的体系
of DNA into actual working proteins.
我现在要做的,就是将它放到一个恒温箱内
All I have to do now is put it in the incubator
加热半小时
and cook it for half an hour.
30分钟后
'30 minutes later,
乔治看起来对实验结果信心十足
'George seems pretty confident we've built fully functioning ribosomes.
但我还是想亲眼看看
'But I want to see for myself.
我想看看它们是否真有活性
'I want to see if they're actually working.
这些人造核醣体是否能够
'Can our man-made ribosomes make proteins
像它们自然界的同类一样合成蛋白质？
'like their counterparts in nature?
乔治有个巧妙的方法可以验证它们的功能
'George has got an ingenious way to show that they can.
他之前已将一段萤火虫DNA,给了我们的人工核醣体
'He's given our synthetic ribsomes a stretch of firefly DNA.
自然状态下,这段DNA会让萤火虫细胞中的核醣体
'Normally, this bit of DNA tells the ribosomes inside
合成一种黑暗中能发光的蛋白质
'the firefly cells to make a protein that glows in the dark.
如果我的人工核醣体是有活性的
'If my man-made ribosomes are working,
那么它就会解读萤火虫的DNA
'then it should also read the firefly DNA
并合成这种蛋白质
'and make the same protein.
简单的说,我的无色液体应该开始发出绿光
'In short, my colourless liquid should start to glow green.'
请关一下灯,好了
Switch off the lights, please.OK.
天呐！太神奇了！
No way! That's amazing!
我的天,太让人震惊了,简直神了
My goodness, that's just shocking. This is groundbreaking stuff!
这说明人工核醣体正在发挥自己的职责 -对
This is a synthetic ribosome, in action, doing its job.Right.
这下可以松口气了
That, that's off the hook!
作为一个科学家,这一切太让我钦佩了
'For me, as a scientist, this is just awesome.'
而这是制♥造♥人工细胞最关键的步骤之一
So this is one of the key steps to making a synthetic cell.
你造出了一个有活性的人工核醣体
You've produced a working synthetic ribosome which actually translates
它能解译DNA密♥码♥,并据此合成活性蛋白质,就像自然细胞中的核醣体一样
the DNA code into a working protein, just like it does in a real cell.
那还要多久
How long is it going to be
你才能制♥造♥出人工细胞所需要其余成份