Indirect ethanol targets include ion channel subunits, intracellular signaling proteins, growth factors, transcription factors, proteins involved in epigenetic regulation of gene expression, and even membrane lipids. In most cases, there is no clear evidence of an ethanol-binding site or that acute ethanol alters the expression or function of these molecules, but they show prominent alterations following chronic ethanol exposure and intake. Examples of indirect targets are highlighted in this and later sections of the review.
