title: Association of the neuronal nicotinic receptor beta2 subunit gene (CHRNB2) with subjective responses to alcohol and nicotine.
abstract: Nicotine addiction and alcohol dependence are highly comorbid disorders that are likely to share overlapping genetic components. We have examined two neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit genes (CHRNA4 and CHRNB2) for possible associations with nicotine and alcohol phenotypes, including measures of frequency of use and measures of initial subjective response in the period shortly after first using the drugs. The subjects were 1,068 ethnically diverse young adults participating in ongoing longitudinal studies of adolescent drug behaviors at the University of Colorado, representing both clinical and community samples. Analysis of six SNPs in the CHRNA4 gene provided modest support for an association with past 6 month use of alcohol in Caucasians (three SNPs with P < 0.08), but no evidence for an association with tobacco and CHRNA4 was detected. However, a SNP (rs2072658) located immediately upstream of CHRNB2 was associated with the initial subjective response to both alcohol and tobacco. This study provides the first evidence for association between the CHRNB2 gene and nicotine- and alcohol-related phenotypes, and suggests that polymorphisms in CHRNB2 may be important in mediating early responses to nicotine and alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA. Marissa.Ehringer@colorado.edu
authors.forename: Marissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ehringer
authors.forename: Hilary V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.forename: Allan C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: Robin P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Corley
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.forename: Christian J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hopfer
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krauter
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lessem
authors.forename: Soo Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schlaepfer
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smolen
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Stallings
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Joanna S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Zeiger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000235:genetics*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics; D003120:Colorado; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics*; D012907:Smoking / Q000235:genetics*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic