It describes common alcohol behavioral assays, the independent origins of resistance and tolerance, the results of classical genetic screens and candidate gene analysis, and the outcomes of recent genomics studies employing GWAS, transcriptome, miRNA, and genome-wide histone acetylation surveys.Ĭlassical genetics and genomics share a common thread of unbiased investigation that is not limited by one’s preconceptions. This review describes the state of the Drosophila alcohol research field. Strong evolutionary conservation of a mechanistic response between distantly related organisms, such as flies and mammals, is a powerful predictor that conservation will continue all the way to humans. A major problem in medical research today is that it is difficult to extrapolate from any single model system to humans. Despite the great evolutionary distance between flies and mammals, many of the same genes have been implicated in strikingly similar alcohol-induced behaviors. Furthermore, almost all genes can be easily genetically manipulated. In flies, a rich variety of behaviors can be leveraged for identifying genes affecting alcohol responses and adaptations. Drosophila melanogaster has become a significant model organism for alcohol research.
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