Scientists extract DNA from 5 locks of hair and discovered Beethoven had hepatitis B infection

科学家从5缕头发中提取DNA,发现贝多芬感染了乙型肝炎

DNA had to be sampled from 7 feet of hair to analyze Beethoven who died 2 centuries ago

分析死于2个世纪前的贝多芬的DNA必须从7英尺长的头发中提取

Using five locks of hair, scientists have sequenced the genome of one of history's greatest musical composers - Ludwig van Beethoven - nearly two centuries after his death, gaining insight into his fatal liver disease but not his hearing loss.

在历史上最伟大的音乐作曲家之一路德维希·范·贝多芬(Ludwig van Beethoven)去世近两个世纪后,科学家们利用他的五绺头发对他的基因组进行了测序,从而深入了解了他致命的肝病,而不是他的听力损失。

Researchers said on Wednesday his genome showed the German composer was both genetically predisposed to liver disease and had hepatitis B virus infection. An autopsy after his 1827 death at age 56 in Vienna determined he had cirrhosis of the liver, a disease often caused by chronic drinking. The new findings suggest there were multiple factors behind his liver disease including genetics, viral infection and alcohol consumption.

研究人员于周三表示,他的基因组/染色体组显示,这位德国作曲家不仅有肝脏疾病的遗传倾向,还患有乙型肝炎病毒感染。1827年,56岁的他在维也纳去世,尸检发现他患有肝硬化,这种疾病通常是由长期饮酒引起的。新的研究结果显示,他的肝病背后有多种因素,包括遗传、病毒感染和饮酒。
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"Beethoven's liver disease risk, which arises predominately from mutations in two genes - PNPLA3 and HFE - would have roughly tripled his risk for the full spectrum of progressive liver disease," said University of Cambridge biological anthropologist Tristan Begg, lead author of the study published in the journal Current Biology.

“贝多芬患肝病的风险主要来自两种基因——PNPLA3和HFE的突变,这将使他患各种进行性肝病的风险增加大约三倍。” 该研究的主要作者、剑桥大学生物人类学家特里斯坦·贝格(Tristan Begg)表示,该研究已发表在《当代生物学》杂志上。

"On their own, these risk factors are not of great concern to most people who have them, but there would have been a harmful interaction effect with his alcohol consumption," Begg added. "Prior to this study, alcohol was the only definitely known risk factor for Beethoven's liver disease."

“就其本身而言,这些风险因素对大多数患有这些疾病的人来说并不是很重要,但与他的酒精摄入量相互作用会产生有害的影响。” 贝格补充道。“在这项研究之前,酒精是贝多芬肝脏疾病唯一已知的危险因素。”

The presence of the Hepatitis B virus, incorporated into Beethoven's genome, indicated a liver infection at least a few months before his death and maybe earlier.

贝多芬的基因组中含有乙肝病毒,这表明至少在他去世前几个月或更早的时候,他曾受到肝脏感染。

Beethoven experienced progressive hearing loss starting at age 29 and by 44 his hearing loss was complete, though he continued to compose masterpieces.

贝多芬从29岁开始逐渐丧失听力,到44岁时,他的听力完全丧失,可是他继续创作杰作。


German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) is illustrated in this photo. Research based on Beethoven’s hair found that the German composer had hepatitis B infection and was genetically predisposed to liver disease. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

这张照片展示了德国作曲家、钢琴家路德维希·范·贝多芬(1770 - 1827)。对贝多芬头发进行的研究发现,这位德国作曲家患有乙型肝炎,并且从基因上看有肝病的倾向。

"We were ultimately unable to find a genetic explanation for Beethoven's hearing loss, though this by no means precludes such an explanation, as several possible explanations could not be reliably or comprehensively uated," Begg said.

“我们最终无法找到贝多芬听力损失的基因解释,尽管这绝不排除这样的解释,因为几种可能的解释都无法可靠或全面地评估。” 贝格表示。
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There was no evidence found for conditions hypothesized by some experts such as otosclerosis or Paget's disease, Begg said.

没有证据证明一些专家假设的疾病,如耳硬化症或佩吉特病,贝格说道。
【佩吉特骨病(畸形性骨炎)是一种慢性的骨疾病,表现为骨发生异常转换,导致骨膨大和骨软化。】

A towering figure in the history of Western civilization, Beethoven was a brilliant and innovative composer of symphonies, sonatas, concertos and other pieces, along with a single opera. Many of his works have become immortal, including his Symphonies No. 5, No. 6 and No. 9, Moonlight Sonata and Für Elise.

作为西方文明史上的杰出人物,贝多芬是一位杰出而富有创新精神的作曲家,创作了交响乐、奏鸣曲、协奏曲和其他作品,以及一部歌剧。他的许多作品成为不朽,包括他的第5号、第6号和第9号交响曲,月光奏鸣曲和致爱丽丝。

In 1802, Beethoven asked in a document called the Heiligenstadt Testament that his doctor publicly describe his hearing loss and other health issues after his death so that "as far as possible at least the world will be reconciled to me."

1802年,贝多芬在一份名为《海利根施塔特遗嘱》(Heiligenstadt Testament)的文件中要求他的医生在他死后公开描述他的听力损失和其他健康问题,这样“至少世界会尽可能地与我和解”。

"Beethoven's music continues to inspire millions nearly 200 years after his death," Begg said. "It was valuable to carry out this study first to attempt to satisfy Beethoven's own wishes regarding the understanding of his health, but also in the interests of more accurately conveying the facts of his biography, which was also of concern to him."

“贝多芬的音乐在他去世近200年后仍然激励着数百万人。” 贝格说。“进行这项研究是有价值的,首先它尝试满足贝多芬自己关于了解他(自己)健康状况的愿望,但也有利于更准确地传达他传记中的事实,这也是他所关心的。”

The researchers analyzed eight locks of hair from public and private collections in the United States and Europe, determining that five of them matched and were almost certainly authentic as his. The best-preserved one, called the Stumpff Lock based on the name of a man who once possessed it, was used to sequence his genome.

研究人员分析了来自美国和欧洲公共和私人收藏的八绺头发,确定其中五绺与他的头发匹配,几乎可以肯定是他本身的。保存最完好的一缕,被称为“斯坦普夫锁”(Stumpff Lock),名字是根据一个曾经拥有它的人的名字命名的,它被用来对他(贝多芬)的基因组进行测序。
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"The DNA was really degraded," said study co-author Johannes Krause, director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.

“DNA确实降解了,”研究报告的合著者、德国马克斯·普朗克进化人类学研究所所长约翰内斯·克劳斯(Johannes Krause)说。