It appears, however, that differences in saccharin preference and total fluid consumption may influence voluntary ethanol consumption on this background. One should note that B6D2 F1 Lwt/+ mice consume more water ad libitum than +/+ animals (P = 0.025, Mann-Whitney Rank Sum Test). While Lwt/+ mice did not exhibit alterations in preference for either 0.03% or 0.06% saccharin or quinine-containing solutions, they did exhibit increased consumption of saccharin relative to +/+ animals (Figure S4). This result is reflected in a greater total fluid consumption (water+saccharin solution) in Lwt/+ mice relative to +/+ animals (Figure S4). Because saccharin preference is very high in both genotypes (nearing 100%), it is possible that this ceiling may mask a difference in saccharin preference. For this reason, the taste preference test was repeated on a separate set of B6D2 animals using a lower saccharin concentration (0.015%) from which an increased saccharin preference was observed in Lwt/+ mice relative to +/+ animals (P<0.001, post hoc Tukey test) (Figure S4). We also observed increased total fluid consumption (water + quinine solution) in Lwt/+ animals. In contrast, there
