科學(xué)家找到了基因組的一個看上去可以決定飲酒者能在多大程度上感受酒精效應(yīng)的區(qū)域。Raymond White及其同事提出,，一個人對酒精攝入的反應(yīng)程度提供了一種中間的度量,，可以用于調(diào)查影響酒精濫用的遺傳因素。
科學(xué)家報告說15號染色體上的一個單核苷酸多態(tài)（SNP）與酒精反應(yīng)的程度有顯著的關(guān)聯(lián),。低水平的酒精反應(yīng)意味著飲酒者可以在感到醉之前忍受許多杯酒,。這組科學(xué)家對來自圣地亞哥兄弟姐妹項目的313名白人兄弟姐妹進行了基因分型，并分析了兩個前哨SNPs與反應(yīng)水平的三種度量的關(guān)聯(lián),。一個特定的SNP與身體搖晃之間存在明顯的強關(guān)聯(lián),。這組作者還調(diào)查了其他的SNPs，但是發(fā)現(xiàn)沒有一個提供了飲酒對一個人的身體影響的更好例子,。他們提出,，已發(fā)現(xiàn)的幾個遺傳臨近的候選基因可能是反應(yīng)水平不同的原因。盡管其他研究已經(jīng)把15號染色體和酒精使用障礙聯(lián)系在了一起,，這組作者提出,，煙堿受體基因CHRNA5很可能對個體酒精反應(yīng)的差異負責。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PNAS December 8, 2008, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0810970105
Chromosome 15q25.1 genetic markers associated with level of response to alcohol in humans
Geoff Joslyna,1, Gerry Brusha,1, Margaret Robertsona, Tom L. Smithb, Jelger Kalmijnb, Marc Schuckitb, and Raymond L. Whitea,2
As with other genetically complex common psychiatric and medical conditions, multiple genetic and environmental components contribute to alcohol use disorders (AUDs), which can confound attempts to identify genetic components. Intermediate phenotypes are often more closely correlated with underlying biology and have often proven invaluable in genetic studies. Level of response (LR) to alcohol is an intermediate phenotype for AUDs, and individuals with a low LR are at increased risk. A high rate of concurrent alcohol and nicotine use and dependence suggests that these conditions may share biochemical and genetic mechanisms. Genetic association studies indicate that a genetic locus, which includes the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene cluster, plays a role in nicotine consumption and dependence. Genetic association with alcohol dependence was also recently shown. We show here that two of the markers from the nicotine studies also show an association (multiple testing corrected P < 0.025) with several LR phenotypes in a sample of 367 siblings. Additional markers in the region were analyzed and shown to be located in a 250-kb expanse of high linkage disequilibrium containing three additional genes. These findings indicate that LR intermediate phenotypes have utility in genetic approaches to AUDs and will prove valuable in the identification of other genetic loci conferring susceptibility to AUDs.
