ALK regulates binge alcohol consumption and dopamine D2 receptor trafficking

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase associated with alcohol dependence in humans and behavioral responses to ethanol in mice. We found that the ALK inhibitors TAE684 and alectinib decrease ethanol consumption by mice in the drinking in the dark (DID) protocol. Since the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is involved in binge ethanol consumption, we determined whether ALK expression in the VTA is important for this behavior. Mice expressing a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting ALK in the VTA drank less ethanol compared with controls.

Source: Alcohol - May 1, 2017 Category: Addiction Authors: Amy W. Lasek, Donghong He, Hu Chen, John W. Dutton, Chang You, Mark S. Brodie Source Type: research