Tres fantasmas de la ciudad

Capítulo 10

The fluorescence intensity reached its maximum! This means that the number of mitochondria in the cell is unimaginably large. This, combined with previous microscopic analyses, indicates that the number of mitochondria in individual cells of "Eve1" is not only increasing, but also undergoing significant morphological changes. Clearly, the mechanism inhibiting mitochondrial function has become abnormal; under some erroneous induction, the number of mitochondria has increased dramatically.

Li Ming had never seen a report of such intensely induced mitochondria. The only word to describe it was "terrifying!" Given the cell's inherent proliferative capacity, it was highly likely that a mutation had occurred in the DNA-binding protein, and the effects of this change had already reached the mitochondria within the cell. Li Ming felt an indescribable excitement.

What exactly happened inside Saint-Mei's body?

Li Ming, holding the newly printed analysis results, jogged back to the research lab.

Asakura was working at her lab table, extracting DNA.

"Asakura, come here for a moment."

Without a word, Liming pulled Asakura into the culture room and showed her the flask containing "Eve 1" stored in an incubator. Asakura looked surprised.

"Could you help me extract the messenger RNA from these cells?" Liming placed the flask under the microscope, asking Asakura to observe the cells. "I want to use the blotting transfer method to examine the induction of β-oxidase."

"...What kind of cell is this?"

Asakura looked up from her glasses and asked. She seemed puzzled by this sudden turn of events. However, Toshiaki was vague about the origin of the cells, only saying that they were sent by another university. Asakura still seemed a little confused, but she didn't ask any further questions, only nodding as if she understood.

That night, for the first time in a long time, Liming dreamed of something other than Saint Beauty.

In his dream, Liming was in his elementary school days, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, sitting on a tatami mat playing with plastic models. An electric fan oscillated, periodically blowing cool air onto Liming's back. The faint sound of wind chimes could be heard. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He remembered! That summer was very hot. Liming was a quiet child. He preferred reading and doing crafts at home to playing with his friends outside. Monster illustrations and dinosaur pictures in magazines were his favorites. Visiting zoos and museums was also a great hobby. One day, as summer vacation was ending, his father took Liming to a science museum. In the exhibition hall, Liming saw a peculiar plastic model. It was a crab model. Biologists studying crabs' movement in water had created a simple robot that closely resembled a crab, and its movements could be controlled remotely. This plastic model was already being sold as a product. Liming was fascinated by it and asked his father to buy it. As soon as he got home, he immediately started making it. Since there weren't many parts, the crab was finished in no time—the large claws and legs were all installed. He simply pressed a button on the remote, and the motor inside the shell started working, causing the crab's joints to wave its legs, truly resembling a "coasting" motion. Liming was overjoyed and pressed another button. The crab moved its legs alternately, walking sideways, its gait exactly like a real crab in an aquarium tank. Liming became fascinated with the crab, letting it roam around his house. Then, Liming suddenly felt a sense of surprise: such simple parts, easily assembled, could move; a small, motor-driven model could mimic the movements of a real crab. Are living things really that simple? No, impossible. Liming recalled raising tadpoles a few years ago. Back then, he could excitedly observe some amazing things almost every day. For example, the tadpoles grew hind legs, then front legs, and their tails disappeared. These changes are something robots simply cannot imitate. Biology is truly amazing.

He couldn't believe it; he didn't have any electric motors installed on him.

The carousel I made last summer still lies in a corner of my room. It was a summer craft project for Liming. The materials were woodworking plywood and cellophane, bought from a stationery store. At night, Liming would take the carousel to the balcony, put in a candle, and light it. The paper impeller at the top would slowly rotate, causing the cellophane tube to spin as well. Under the slightly purplish night sky, the colorful shadows of Golas moved slowly across the lamp's surface… Soon after, in junior high and high school, Liming gradually learned that all living things are controlled by a substance called DNA. The structure of DNA is truly perfect, a fact that amazed and astonished him. How could life design such an ingenious genetic code? How could such diverse life changes be expressed with such a simple structure? It's incredible!

Suddenly, the dream shifted, and Li Ming found himself in a research lab. However, it was a gray, somewhat dilapidated place. Upon closer inspection, there was neither a peptide synthesizer nor a gene amplifier. Li Ming finally remembered—this was the old second research lab. Back then, Li Ming was a senior student, just entering the lecture hall.

"I hope you will make mitochondria your future research topic." Professor Ishihara, who was young and full of vigor at the time, called Toshiaki over and said these words to him.

Professor Ishihara arrived here a year before Toshiaki entered the Physiological and Pharmacological Lecture Series. At that time, the professor was exploring new research topics.

"Current research is all confined to the field of nuclear genes. However, in the near future, we won't be able to talk about the essence of life based solely on this. There's also a small society inside the cell. In such a society, even a small problem can affect the order of the entire society. I think it's necessary to examine this issue more comprehensively. So, Nagashima? Are you going to do this research? I hope you can continue to innovate!"

Liming immediately immersed himself in the study of mitochondria. The DNA composition of mitochondria was completely different from that of the cell nucleus, and everything felt new to him. This was an unknown world, far beyond the biochemistry and genetic knowledge he had learned in the classroom. A strong impulse surged within Liming: this brand-new field would be pioneered by him! Like a constantly spinning revolving lantern, mitochondria were always quietly swirling. They intertwined with each other, forming huge aggregates, constantly rotating. They were like stones floating in the air in Magritte's paintings, slowly, gently, and endlessly rotating, casting dark shadows onto the ground. In his dreams, Liming gazed up at this dark mass. They obscured the sun's brilliance like a night curtain.

Li Ming felt his feet leave the ground, and he was about to be swallowed by the darkness. He endured it all, gazing motionlessly at the inky sky. The analysis of "Eve 1" was progressing smoothly.

Before they knew it, the calendar had turned a new page, and August had arrived. The sweltering heat persisted. The leaves of the trees surrounding the school buildings acted like mirrors, reflecting the intense sunlight. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the research lab, making the room unbearably hot and stuffy. Because the air conditioning in the pharmacy department was malfunctioning, all lectures and research had come to a standstill. Furthermore, with the senior students busy preparing for graduate school entrance exams, their absence further hampered progress. The lectures that Liming was attending also suddenly became less demanding, and the usual sense of urgency gradually disappeared. Only Liming and Asakura remained in the research lab. However, all of this was irrelevant to Liming. In the steamy lab, Liming remained focused on guiding Asakura in analyzing "Eve1." Using ablative transfer and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the results showed that the β-oxidase of "Eve1" was significantly induced.

"This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this." Asakura, who was conducting the actual experiment, couldn't hide his excitement as he handed the data to Toshiaki.

"Even with the addition of antacids, it shouldn't produce such a severe induction. What's wrong with these cells that formed such a large clump from the very beginning?"

The photo Asakura brought showed a large dark spot. This indicates that the messenger RNA of β-oxidase is increasing.

“Antomei…” Rimei looked at Asakura’s face and muttered to himself.

"Check the amount of vitamin A receptors found in these cells, then add clofibrate to the culture medium. Observe the cell proliferation and mitochondrial morphology, and then do a transport experiment. You need to provide specific data on the extent to which clofibrate promotes the transport of β-oxidase into the mitochondria. By the way, Asakura, when are you going to take leave? Can you tell me?" "Well..." Asakura smiled slightly, tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I'm graduating this year, so... I want to keep working on the experiments without taking a leave of absence."

"Alright, let's take the experiment a step further. We can finish the preparations for the September conference at the end of this month, since the data will have already been collected by then."

"Understood." Asakura nodded.

Liming added various peroxisomal proliferators to the flasks culturing "Eve1". Literally, peroxisomal proliferators are substances that induce the proliferation of organelles called peroxisomes in cells; a representative example is clopidogrel, a drug used to treat hyperlipidemia. However, while these substances promote organelle proliferation, they also induce β-oxidase in mitochondria, causing morphological changes in the mitochondria themselves. Liming had already mastered this knowledge through experiments during his student days. Adding these substances to "Eve1," whose mitochondria were already induced, was essentially aimed at further promoting this induction.

As expected, the mitochondria of "Eve1" expanded wildly under the stimulation of anthomoniasis. The amount of oxidase discovered was astonishing! Naturally, the transmembrane transport rate of the oxidase into the mitochondria also increased significantly. The remaining work is to carefully study this induction mechanism at the genetic level. Li Ming firmly believes that through the study of "Eve1," the mechanism of mitochondrial proliferation can be clarified.

"They're here! They're here!"

The moment Li Ming took it out of the green mailbag, an indescribable excitement welled up inside him.

The name "Nature" (the prestigious international scientific journal) peeked out of the bag. Below it was the lead text "International Weekly Journal of Science." Asakura stood behind Toshiaki, watching it expectantly. Toshiaki opened the bag and took out the magazine. The cover featured a vibrant mural with a distinctly ethnic flair. The title of this special issue was printed in large font: "Science in Mexico," and below that, in slightly smaller font, were the words "Approaches to mitochondrial biogenesis." Toshiaki quickly flipped to the table of contents, pointing to each item in the "Letters to Nature" section. Two papers were about mitochondria; the one Toshiaki was looking for was at the end.

After determining the page number, Li Ming opened it. Gothic script came into view.

"That's fantastic!" Asakura cheered happily.

Liming felt his heart skip a beat. His own paper! His own paper had been published in *Nature*! Liming, Asakura, and the professor's names were all prominently displayed. Actually, a photocopy had already been sent, but holding the magazine in his hands like this felt completely different from before. A paper on mitochondria that he had submitted last year was now part of *Nature*.

Section 26

Asakura shouted with joy as he leaned closer, wanting to get a better look.

"That's awesome!" Li Ming exclaimed in his heart.

My paper has already been published in *Nature*, and even as a small part of a special issue! However, my research doesn't stop there. Currently, the research on "Eve 1" is yielding impressive results. These results will surely astound the world! All experiments are progressing incredibly smoothly. My research is completely on track. This means I can now enter the forefront of scientific research worldwide.

With a loud "boom," purple fireworks burst in the sky above the Department of Pharmacy.

Gunpowder ash fell sparsely around Li Ming and his companions.

A small river flowed past the hill where the Pharmacy Department was located, and a fireworks display was taking place on its banks. The Pharmacy Department was the perfect spot to watch the fireworks launched from the river. That evening, Rimei and Asakura, along with other students and staff who had stayed in the lecture hall, went to the rooftop of the school building. The night sky was clear and cloudless. A huge chrysanthemum-shaped firework exploded in the sky, almost obscuring the entire sky, looking as if you could reach out and touch it. The ball of light instantly filled everyone's vision. The glittering gunpowder ash extinguished just before it touched their faces, and looking to the side, they saw Asakura Sachiko staring wide-eyed at the night sky. As the fireworks changed colors, and as large patterns of chrysanthemums or waterfalls appeared in the sky, Asakura's cheeks would light up with various colors. Rimei and Asakura opened cans of beer together and drank while watching the fireworks fill the sky.

Asakura stood beside Rimei, expressing her gratitude, her eyes sparkling. Rimei smiled and nodded back. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, but Rimei paid it no mind. The fireworks seemed to be celebrating the publication of his paper in *Nature*, or perhaps an early celebration of the breakthrough in his research that Seimei's cells had helped him achieve. Rimei wanted to share this joy with Seimei, but that was clearly impossible—perhaps that was his only regret. How wonderful it would be if he could show Seimei the *Nature* magazine. How wonderful it would be if they could gaze at the night sky together.

Li Ming thought to himself. "Thump." His heartbeat overlapped with the explosion of the fireworks, and Li Ming felt a tremor run through his skin.

The author of *Parasite Eve*

Chapter Eight

Through her own efforts, Kataoka Seimi successfully entered a local national university. She didn't attend summer camps, pre-exam cram schools, or even hire a tutor; she simply spent her final preparation period calmly. On the day the exam results were announced, Seimi and her parents went to see the list. When Seimi found her exam number and name on the list of admitted students for the English major in the Literature Department, a feeling of joy welled up inside her, but it wasn't as exciting as she had expected. Was the Literature Department really right for her? This question continued to trouble Seimi after the college entrance exam. She had chosen English simply because she enjoyed reading and was interested in the language. Unexpectedly, she made many friends in the department at the beginning of the new semester, and university life was far happier than she had imagined. After entering university, Seimi continued to participate in the instrumental music club.

At the welcome party, Shengmei drank beer for the first time in her life. Many of her classmates had drunk alcohol in high school, but Shengmei had never touched it before. The beer tasted a little bitter, but it was quite delicious. The upperclassmen were very kind and funny. Before she knew it, Shengmei's face was flushed.

"Which department are you in, senior?"

Halfway through the orientation, everyone had changed seats. Senior students kept coming to greet Shengmei, and she changed seats several times. After chatting with a third-year female student next to her for a while, just as she was running out of things to say, Shengmei inadvertently noticed a seemingly composed male senior sitting next to her. He also seemed to have just finished talking with his friends, drinking beer and still wearing the smile from his conversation. Their eyes met. Shengmei clumsily picked up the beer bottle and poured some into his empty glass. Because she poured too quickly, more than half the glass was foamy. Shengmei kept bowing and apologizing, while the man kept saying it was okay, then smiled and sipped the foam from his glass. This led Shengmei to ask the question she had just asked.

“I’m a pharmacy major,” the person replied.

"In the pharmacy department, is it just about learning about the medicines we usually take? Like, how to make cold medicine, and so on?"

When Shengmei asked this question, the senior gave a wry smile and took another sip of beer.

"Of course, pharmacy majors have to study this, but it's not all we learn. The impression we formed in high school is that this department specifically trains pharmacists. That's actually how our high school teachers explained it to us."

Saint-Mei nodded. She suddenly remembered that in high school, several female classmates asked the teacher what they should study in college to make it easier to find a job, and the answer they got was to become a pharmacist in a hospital.

"Actually, the scope of research in pharmacy is very broad. While pharmacists naturally need to learn the knowledge required, they also need to conduct more fundamental research. Pharmacy is like a melting pot of medicine, science, agriculture, and engineering; therefore, students within the same department often have very different research focuses depending on their respective lectures. Some work on organic synthesis, while others work on analysis—their job is to meticulously measure the concentration of specific substances in the blood, no matter how minute the amount. Furthermore, some are busy injecting mice, while others spend their days culturing various types of cells. Why do cells become cancerous? Why does DNA replicate? Some in pharmacy also ponder these questions that aren't directly related to drugs. Although pharmacy isn't a large department, the atmosphere in two lecture halls separated by just a wall is completely different, so outsiders have even less idea what pharmacy is all about. Of course, I believe a true pharmacy department should cultivate individuals who can comprehensively master all of the aforementioned disciplines."

The senior student explained the research directions of each lecture in the pharmacy department to Shengmei. Shengmei interjected a few times, showing great interest. He explained the more difficult topics, such as cell and gene structure, in a clear and concise manner. Shengmei was able to understand what he was saying, relying solely on her high school biology and chemistry knowledge.

"Amazing! You've really taught me a lot. You know so much!"

"No, no. I'm only a first-year graduate student myself."

The man scratched his head sheepishly. The term "first year of graduate school" refers to the first year of pursuing a master's degree after graduating from undergraduate studies. Shengmei knew this as well. So, this senior student must be around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. No wonder he seemed so calm at today's orientation party, which was mostly attended by undergraduates.

"If possible, I'd like to pursue a PhD. However, that would mean I'd have much less opportunity to attend club activities. Today might be the last time."

Shengmei was deeply moved. She was passively listening to lectures, while her senior had the ambition to pursue a doctorate and do research.

"May I ask... what specific research do you conduct, senior?"

Even if she said it herself, she might not understand it, but Shengmei still asked the question.

"Mitochondria."

"thump".

The moment she heard the person's reply, Shengmei's heart skipped a beat.

Saint-Mei pressed her hand to her chest and cried out in shock.

"……What’s wrong with you?"

The man looked at Shengmei with a puzzled expression.

Section 27

"N-nothing."

Saint-Mei hurriedly put on a smile and pretended to be nonchalant.

What exactly happened just now?

Saint-Mei calmed herself down and focused on listening to the sounds within her body. However, all she could hear was her own heartbeat; the strange thump from before had vanished.

Perhaps she was drunk. Shengmei didn't think much of it and smiled at the man again, hoping to dispel his worries.

"It's really nothing. Please continue!"

Judging from the senior's expression, he didn't seem to completely believe what Shengmei said, but he still talked about his research.

"You can find the word mitochondria in junior high and high school textbooks, so I think you've heard of it. It's the organ that produces energy in the cell."

"right."

"After sugars and fats are ingested into cells, they are converted into acetylCOA in the mitochondria through metabolism. Then, the citric acid cycle takes effect to produce adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Ultimately, ATP will be used in the body as a source of various forms of energy."

"...Oh, I understand the general idea."

Saint-Mei nodded slightly. She still had some recollection of what she had learned in high school.

"The question I'm researching is why this kind of metabolism occurs in mitochondria. Metabolism requires the presence of various enzymes. Mitochondria are full of these enzymes, and that's the crux of the problem. In fact, the cell nucleus isn't the only source of genetic material—this is knowledge you don't learn until high school—mitochondria also contain genetic material called 'mitochondrial DNA,' but it's much smaller than nuclear DNA. This genetic material doesn't contain information about enzymes essential for sugar and fat metabolism; it only records a small subset of genes for specific enzymes. These enzymes only function in the electron transport reaction that generates ATP. So, where is the information about the enzymes necessary for sugar and fat metabolism recorded? They're in the genes of the cell nucleus. In other words, enzyme synthesis is controlled by the cell nucleus. When the cell nucleus..." When energy is needed, the nucleus issues instructions to produce metabolic enzymes. This is because the increased production of enzymes accelerates metabolism. However, enzymes are generally born in ribosomes within the cytoplasm. Therefore, the produced enzymes must then enter the mitochondria. Only after entering the mitochondria can the enzymes perform their intended function. So, how do enzymes get into the mitochondria? Because enzymes are proteins, they cannot easily cross the lipid membrane of the mitochondria. Furthermore, how does the cell nucleus know when energy is needed? How are the instructions to produce enzymes transmitted? If we think further ahead, even more questions arise. How does the cell nucleus control the mitochondria? Actually, the genes for enzymes should belong to the mitochondria, so why is the cell nucleus able to claim this genetic information, which should belong to the mitochondria, for its own use? Don't you find that strange?

Saint-Mei was impressed. She wasn't unfamiliar with mitochondria, but she'd never thought about them so deeply. Hearing him say it was truly incredible. It seemed that much of the easily understood knowledge in textbooks was still not fully understood. For the first time, Saint-Mei personally experienced that there were people like her senior diligently exploring these unknown fields.

Perhaps realizing he'd said too much, the senior gave a wry smile and stopped talking. He glanced at Shengmei's glass and refilled it with beer. Then, he poured the last bit of beer from the bottle into his own glass and asked, "Um, what's your name?"

“Kata Oka Seimi”.

"Oh, Ms. Kataoka. Nice to meet you! My name is Toshiaki Nagashima."

The senior who claimed to be from Nagashima and Seimei both smiled and simultaneously brought their glasses to their lips.

"Parasite Eve"

Chapter Nine

"...I'll go talk to the doctor."

Anqi Chongde stood up.

As Anzai left the room, he glanced back at his daughter. But Mariko kept her head turned away, her mouth tightly shut, an expression of unwillingness to acknowledge her father. Anzai walked out of the ward with a sigh. In the straight white corridor of the inpatient department, Anzai pondered the upcoming surgery.

Ten days have passed since the surgery, and Mariko hasn't spoken a single word to anyone around her. This isn't just true for Anzai, but also for her attending physician, Yoshizumi, and the nurses. Only when asked how she's feeling will Mariko turn her back and give a few impatient replies.

Looks like she had another nightmare last night. I heard Mariko's screams last night could be heard even in the hallway. The nurse responsible for taking care of Mariko frantically tried to wake her, but she seemed unable to distinguish between dreams and reality. Yoshizumi asked her what was wrong, but Mariko remained silent, simply turning her face to one side and keeping her lips tightly closed. A little while later, Anzai walked to the elevator. He pressed the down button and waited for the elevator to come up.

Anzai and her attending physician, Yoshizumi, talked many times, and each time they would talk about Mariko's autistic behavior.