Cross-species convergence in the genetics of ethanol response and alcohol dependence

Despite the substantial challenges in identifying specific genes influencing alcohol dependence risk, alcohol-related phenotypes have some critical advantages for gene identification. Ethanol has been in the environment since the evolution of micro-organisms, and pathways and genes mediating ethanol response are highly conserved across species. To exploit this conservation, well-developed experimental approaches exist to test directly whether changes in candidate genes impact behavioral response to ethanol in a variety of model organisms, providing a critical means to demonstrate the functional role of candidate genes in ethanol response.
Source: Alcohol - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: research