the alcohol dehydrogenase subunits 6, 1A, 1B, 1C, and 7. The common form of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP: rs698, Ile350Val in exon 8, formerly known as ADH1C *1/*2) at the ADH1C gene locus is 350Val (G or *2). The other allele 350Ile (A or *1) encodes for a highly active allozyme. This allozyme is capable of altering ethanol metabolism(Yoshida et al. 1991) and reducing genetic susceptibility to alcohol dependence (AD)(Higuchi et al. 1995; Thomasson et al. 1991). A well-known and generally accepted hypothetical mechanism is that the highly active ADH1C 350Ile can increase the level of acetaldehyde, and then result in enhanced negative reactions to alcohol, which in turn reduces the likelihood of AD.
