Evolutionary conservation of pathways offers opportunities for comparative cross-species analyses (Table 2). For example, AUTS2 was identified in human GWASs for alcohol consumption and verified by genotype-specific expression in human prefrontal cortex samples. Differences in expression of Auts2 were also observed in whole-brain extracts of mice selected for differences in voluntary alcohol consumption, and downregulation of an Auts2 homolog was causally associated with reduced alcohol sensitivity in Drosophila. Thus, evidence for the involvement of AUTS2 in alcohol drinking or sensitivity is corroborated across three different species [30].
