Drunken fruit flies used in alcohol study

RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. study has identified several genes linked with fruit fly sensitivity to alcohol that might help identify a genetic basis of human drinking behavior.

North Carolina State University researchers said they used fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) for the study since, like humans, fruit flies can become "'drunk" if exposed to high levels of alcohol.

The researchers said such intoxicated flies show movement problems, loss of postural control and sleepiness. They also develop alcohol tolerance after repeated exposure to alcohol.

The research team -- Tatiana Morozova, Richard Anholt and Professor Trudy Mackay -- identified a number of genes in the fruit fly that appear to be associated with alcohol sensitivity. And 23 of the genes have human equivalents, which the authors suggest could be linked to alcohol sensitivity in people.

"We can now translate these findings from Drosophila to the human population by asking whether any of the 23 human orthologs are indeed associated with alcohol sensitivity -- either drinking behavior or addiction -- in the human population," said Mackay,.

The study appears in the journal Genome Biology.