Genetics and Health

August 30th, 2006

More than 50 Genetic Loci for Alcoholism

A study of 104,268 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 240 participants in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) has revealed 51 clusters of genetic variations that are associated with alcohol addiction. The chromosomal locations highlighted involve genes or areas near genes that play a role in cell signaling, gene regulation, and […]

By Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD -- 5 comments

April 19th, 2006

Genetics of Alcohol Drinking

Alcohol addiction is a good example of the complex interplay between genes and environment (if alcohol didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have alcoholics). A recent study of mice has found 3,800 unique genes that vary between high and low amounts of voluntary alcohol consumption. Sorting this large number of genes into functional groups implicated:

Mitogen-activated […]

By Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD -- 1 comment

December 14th, 2005

Chromosomes 2 and 4 Associated with Alcohol Consumption

Smokers drink and drinkers smoke. Relying on this observation, researchers studied 158 nuclear families that were determined to have at least two first-degree relatives who had smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their lifetime. In these families, an association between alcohol consumption and chromosomes 2 and 4 were found.
One locus on chromosome 2 […]

By Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD -- 4 comments