在5月29日的《细胞》(Cell)杂志上，科学家们报道，他们发现了控制果蝇对乙醇敏感性的基因。该研究表明目前的几种抗癌药物可能可以用于治疗酒精中毒，这听起来好像只不过是酒后“狂言”罢了。
有些果蝇就像人一样也不胜酒力。喝一小口酒后，它们就会晕头转向。因此科学家们决定找出这些果蝇对酒精敏感的基因。科学家们找到了这个基因，并把它称之为“欢乐时光”。具有这种基因正常形式的果蝇根本就不是饮酒高手，但是具有“欢乐时光”突变体的果蝇能把它们的酒友喝趴下。
在正常的果蝇中，“欢乐时光”基因阻止了一种名为EGF的荷尔蒙。科学家们发现两种抗癌药(这两种抗癌药物也能抑制EGF)使“豪饮”的果蝇更加“头晕”---人和果蝇对这种感觉都感到不舒服。研究人员给老鼠服用了这些抗癌药物后，它们“抿”一小口酒之后就觉得不能再喝了。
对付酒精中毒的方法之一就是消除豪饮带来的强烈兴奋的感觉。至少从遗传的角度讲，这就意味着，有一点儿“欢乐时光”也蛮不错的。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Cell, 21 May 2009 doi:10.1016/j.cell.2009.03.020
Happyhour, a Ste20 Family Kinase, Implicates EGFR Signaling in Ethanol-Induced Behaviors
Ammon B. Corl1,Karen H. Berger3,Galit Ophir-Shohat2,Julie Gesch3,Jeffrey A. Simms3,Selena E. Bartlett3andUlrike Heberlein1,2,3,,
1 Program in Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-2822, USA
2 Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-2822, USA
3 Ernest Gallo Research Center, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
The consequences of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are devastating to individuals and society, yet few treatments are currently available. To identify genes regulating the behavioral effects of ethanol, we conducted a genetic screen in Drosophila and identified a mutant, happyhour (hppy), due to its increased resistance to the sedative effects of ethanol. Hppy protein shows strong homology to mammalian Ste20 family kinases of the GCK-1 subfamily. Genetic and biochemical experiments revealed that the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-signaling pathway regulates ethanol sensitivity in Drosophila and that Hppy functions as an inhibitor of the pathway. Acute pharmacological inhibition of the EGF receptor (EGFR) in adult animals altered acute ethanol sensitivity in both flies and mice and reduced ethanol consumption in a preclinical rat model of alcoholism. Inhibitors of the EGFR or components of its signaling pathway are thus potential pharmacotherapies for AUDs.
