title: Updated findings of the association and functional studies of DRD2/ANKK1 variants with addictions.
abstract: Both nicotine and alcohol addictions are severe public health hazards worldwide. Various twin and family studies have demonstrated that genetic factors contribute to vulnerability to these addictions; however, the susceptibility genes and the variants underlying them remain largely unknown. Of susceptibility genes investigated for addictions, DRD2 has received much attention. Considering new evidence supporting the association of DRD2 and its adjacent gene ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) with various addictions, in this paper, we provide an updated view of the involvement of variants in DRD2 and ANKK1 in the etiology of nicotine dependence (ND) and alcohol dependence (AD) based on linkage, association, and molecular studies. This evidence shows that both genes are significantly associated with addictions; however the association with ANKK1 appears to be stronger. Thus, both more replication studies in independent samples and functional studies of some of these variants are warranted.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yunlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Wenji
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Xianzhong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Wen-Yan
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Ming D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000235:genetics*; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C581293:DRD2 protein, human; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; C489948:ANKK1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases