Comparative genomics shows that sodium channel and pump proteins evolved just before multicellular animals arose, implying that control of electrolyte balancing was a crucial event in life's history. Karen Hopkin reports

比較基因學告訴我們鈉通道和泵蛋白的演變進化是在多細胞動物崛起之前就發生了的。同時這也暗示說明點解平衡的控制在生命歷程中是一個起著決定性作用的過程。

Life requires balance. We balance work and family. We eat a balanced breakfast, sometimes.

生命的存活需要各種平衡。比如我們人類會在工作和家庭之間尋找平衡點，當然有時我們也會吃一次營養均衡的早餐。

And we balance our electrolytes. That salt-watersynergy is not just key to our health, but to our very existence.

我們在生活中的平衡也會影響到體內電解質的平衡。體內鹽分和水分的協作不僅是保持健康的關鍵，也是我們能夠生存下去的關鍵。

Because the appearance of molecules that maintain our fluid balance coincide with the evolution of multicellular life.

因為維持我們體液流動的分子的形態和多細胞生命演化的過程不謀而合。

The findings appear in the journal Physiological Genomics. [Romain A. Studer et al., "Evolution of the epithelial sodium channel and the sodium pump as limiting factors of aldosterone action on sodium transport"]

此項發現在《物理生物基因學》雜志羅曼 A. 司徒德的“上皮組織鈉通道及鈉離子泵限制鈉離子輸送中醛固酮行為因素的進化”一文中得以認證。

When it comes to osmolarity, single cells keep it simple. They adjust their fluid intake by importing or exporting salts across their membranes.

而當提到摩爾滲透壓濃度時，僅單細胞就可以維持其正常。單細胞通過從其細胞膜輸出和輸入鈉離子就可以自行調整體液的進入。

But once a creature is multicellular, things are more complex. Many cells don't have direct access to the environment, so a complex system of hormones and sodium channels and pumps has to manage the movement of salts, cell by cell, to keep the whole body hydrated.

然而一旦說道多細胞生物時，事情就變得更加復雜些。 大量細胞沒有直接進入體液環境的通道，所以荷爾蒙和鈉離子通道及鈉離子泵組成的一個復雜系統就誕生了。旨在維持和控制細胞與細胞之間鈉離子的活動，進而保持生物整體的碳水平衡。

To trace the evolution of this regulatory system, scientists searched the genomes of organisms that represent the major branches of life's tree.

科學家們通過對能夠展示生命進化各個主要分支發展的器官進行了從基因學上的分析來解釋這樣一個行之有效的調整系統的演化過程。

And they found that two proteins—a sodium channel and part of a sodium pump—arose slightly before the first multicellular animals. Which strongly implies that the ability to regulate electrolytes is a big reason we’re here. As any scientists worth their salt will tell you.

科學家們發現了兩種重要的蛋白質-鈉離子通道和部分鈉離子泵-在首次多細胞生命體出現之前就已經簡單的發展起來了。這個發現暗示了我們能夠從初級進化到現在這樣的高級動物是靠這兩種蛋白質調整和控制電解質平衡的能力。任何同意這種說法的科學家都會給予你這樣的答案。

—Karen Hopkin 凱倫•霍普金斯