Researchers at the Yale University School of Public Health and Princeton University have identified a gene variant that is associated with addictive behaviors in white women of European origin. Genome-wide association studies revealed that a SNP variant of the PKNOX2 gene, located on chromosome 11, is associated, in these women, with multiple (two or more) dependencies involving nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and other drugs. While genes on other chromosomes have previously been associated with alcoholism and drug abuse in prior studies, this is believed to be the first time that the PKNOX2 gene has been associated with addiction in humans, said Dr. Heping Zhang, the paper’s senior author. The gene identified by the researchers had previously been associated with addictive behavior in mice. “This information can be used to design preventive and/or treatment strategies for addiction by controlling the environment exposure in the targeted group and/or by exploring and developing medications that modify the expression of the gene,” Dr. Zhang said. The researchers emphasized that their findings indicate that the associations are not as significant when individual outcomes for addiction are considered, underscoring the importance of considering multiple addiction types. The work was reported on August 31 in the early online edition of PNAS. [Press release] [PNAS abstract]
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