为什么人类能够说话而黑猩猩不能呢？研究人员现在找到了答案。他们认为，人类和黑猩猩身上都拥有的FOXP2基因不仅“长相”不同，而且产生的氨基酸也不一样，这些差异造成了人类区别于黑猩猩的独特语言能力。相关研究发表在11月12日的《自然》杂志上。
人类和黑猩猩有95%到98.5%的基因一样。美国加州大学洛杉矶分校的丹·格施温德团队使用人类和黑猩猩的大脑组织分析了FOXP2的功能和工作情况。他们发现，FOXP2基因在人类语言功能形成过程中发挥着核心作用。这个基因会指导合成一种特殊蛋白质，该蛋白质又会与DNA（脱氧核糖核酸）结合，对其他基因的功能造成影响。因此，虽然实验显示这个基因的人类版本与黑猩猩版本只有两处氨基酸不同，但在同样的培养环境下，该基因的人类版本会增强61个基因的作用，同时抑制另外51个基因的作用。
在这些受影响的基因中，一些与大脑发育有关，FOXP2基因可以通过它们影响大脑中的语言功能区域和神经网络。另一些受影响的基因与咽喉部位的软组织发育有关，FOXP2基因可以通过它们来影响与语言功能有关的器官结构。
研究人员认为，这表明在人类获得语言交流能力的进化历程中，FOXP2基因发挥了重要作用。这些发现有助于解释为什么人类的大脑天生带着说话和语言环路，而黑猩猩却没有。研究人员将进行深入研究，进一步揭示人类掌握语言的机制。（生物谷Bioon.com）
有关语言能力研究：
Cell：将人类语言基因植入老鼠体内
Science：将线路植入大脑解析语言系统工作机理
Neuropsychologia：男孩女孩用不同大脑区域处理语言信息
PNAS：语言与颜色认知有直接关系
PNAS：不同语言失读症患者脑构造不同
Current Biology：诵读困难症在不同语言中表现各异
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Nature 462, 213-217 (12 November 2009) | doi:10.1038/nature08549
Human-specific transcriptional regulation of CNS development genes by FOXP2
Genevieve Konopka1,3, Jamee M. Bomar1,3, Kellen Winden1,3, Giovanni Coppola3, Zophonias O. Jonsson5, Fuying Gao3, Sophia Peng3, Todd M. Preuss6, James A. Wohlschlegel5 & Daniel H. Geschwind1,2,3,4
1 Program in Neurogenetics,
2 Semel Institute and Department of Psychiatry,
3 Departments of Neurology,
4 Human Genetics, and,
5 Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
6 Division of Neuroscience and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA
7 Correspondence to: Genevieve Konopka1,3Daniel H. Geschwind1,2,3,4 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to G.K. or D.H.G.
The signalling pathways controlling both the evolution and development of language in the human brain remain unknown. So far, the transcription factor FOXP2 (forkhead box P2) is the only gene implicated in Mendelian forms of human speech and language dysfunction1, 2, 3. It has been proposed that the amino acid composition in the human variant of FOXP2 has undergone accelerated evolution, and this two-amino-acid change occurred around the time of language emergence in humans4, 5. However, this remains controversial, and whether the acquisition of these amino acids in human FOXP2 has any functional consequence in human neurons remains untested. Here we demonstrate that these two human-specific amino acids alter FOXP2 function by conferring differential transcriptional regulation in vitro. We extend these observations in vivo to human and chimpanzee brain, and use network analysis to identify novel relationships among the differentially expressed genes. These data provide experimental support for the functional relevance of changes in FOXP2 that occur on the human lineage, highlighting specific pathways with direct consequences for human brain development and disease in the central nervous system (CNS). Because FOXP2 has an important role in speech and language in humans, the identified targets may have a critical function in the development and evolution of language circuitry in humans.
