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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

News Release - Scientists Identify Gene That Influences Alcohol Consumption



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Contact: NIAAA Press Office, 301-443-3860

A variant of a gene involved in communication among brain cells has a direct influence on alcohol consumption in mice, according to a new study by scientists supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Army.


Scientists do not know yet whether a similar gene variant, with a similar effect on alcohol consumption, exists in humans.


Known as Grm7, the gene encodes a receptor subtype that inhibits the release of glutamate and other neurotransmitter molecules that brain cells use to communicate with one another.


Researchers identified a gene variant, or polymorphism, that reduces the abundance of Grm7 messenger RNA (mRNA) in brain tissue. mRNA is the molecular intermediate between a gene and its protein product. Mice that possess this gene variant drink more alcohol than do mice with higher brain levels of Grm7 mRNA.

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