Physiology of Osmoregulation in Saline-Water Insects

动物细胞固有的最基本的过程之一是运输离子和水的能力。这些过程对人体的功能非常重要，例如，在产生唾液、汗液、尿液、胃分泌物等。布拉德利博士正在研究生活在加利福尼亚州中东部非常咸的莫诺湖中的昆虫。这个湖的盐度是海洋的2.5倍，并且含有非常高水平的硫酸盐。尽管有这些不同寻常的条件，但盐蝇在莫诺湖生活着数十亿只。他正在研究这些苍蝇中肠(食盐进入部位)和后肠(食盐出出部位)的盐分运输机制。这些苍蝇很可能含有生物学上已知的最活跃的硫酸盐泵。他预计，他将收集的信息将广泛用于理解盐在其他生物系统和人类体内的运输机制，例如在肾脏中。在非人类模型系统中检查生理过程是一种公认的做法，在这些系统中，过程被高度夸大。电鳗的电产生、鱿鱼巨型轴突的神经功能以及世代时间很短的果蝇的遗传选择过程都得到了非常成功的研究。他打算用同样的原理来研究已知最活跃的硫酸盐体系中的硫酸盐运输。

One of the most fundamental processes inherent in animal cells is the capacity to transport ions and water. These processes are very important in the functioning of the human body, for example, in the production of saliva, sweat, urine, stomach secretions etc. Dr. Bradley is studying insects that live in a very saline lake, Mono Lake, in east central California. This lake is 2.5 times as salty as the ocean and contains very high levels of sulfate. Despite these unusual conditions, brine flies live by the billions in Mono Lake. He is investigating the mechanisms of salt transport in the midgut (the site of salt entry) and hindgut (the site of salt exit) in these flies. The flies may well contain the most active sulfate pumps known in biology. He anticipates that the information he will gather will be of broad use in understanding the mechanisms of salt transport in other biological systems and in man, for example in the kidney. It is a well established practice to examine physiological processes in non-human model systems where the process is highly exaggerated. Electrical generation has been very successfully studied in electric eels, nervous function in the giant axons of squid and processes of genetic selection in the fruit fly which has very short generation times. He intends to use the same principle in examining sulfate transport in the most active sulfate system known.