The reduction in Fos (FBJ osteosarcoma oncogene) expression with alcohol drinking along with the reduction in gene expression of 11 of the 16 genes associated with the Fos (Table 4) supports the idea that there is reduced excitation-coupled transcription in the alcohol group compared to controls (George et al., 2012; Schiavone et al., 2011). The findings that 10 of 14 genes are up-regulated in the Nfkbia (nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha) cluster (Table 4) of the alcohol group suggest promotion of excitotoxic neuronal damage (Himadri et al., 2010; Koltsova et al., 2012). It is noteworthy that glucocorticoid receptor activity, implicated in the present study, modulates transcription of Nfkbia and Tsc22d3 (e.g., D’Adamio et al., 1997; Scheinman et al., 1995). Moreover, there is some evidence that morphine may co-regulate Tsc22d3, Sgk, Klf15, and Nfkbia (Korostynski et al., 2007); paralleling a similar pattern of Tsc22d3, Sgk1, Klf9, and Nfkbia all being down-regulated by ethanol in the present study.
