Given the contribution of genetics to opiate abuse, we determined if individual polymorphisms of OPRM1 are related to ELK1 expression. The rs1799971 SNP (A118G variant) in exon 1 is the most common mutation in the coding region as well as the most studied OPRM1 polymorphism.(52) Unfortunately, only two control subjects carried the minor G allele which rendered it challenging to interpret the results in regard to non-drug protein expression. Nevertheless, there was an overall group-genotype effect (F2,42=4.789, p<0.05) with ELK1 levels significantly higher in heroin subjects than controls for the A/A genotype (p<.001) and heroin subjects carrying the G allele had the highest ELK1 levels (p<0.01; Fig. 3A).
