We have identified genes and pathways that differ in expression between alcoholics and controls, and genes that are affected by ethanol treatment. In a complex disease such as alcoholism, both preexisting genetic risk factors that might influence gene expression, and expression differences that result from heavy drinking, can contribute to the disease. LCLs are an accessible tissue model, and 99% of the genes differentially expressed in LCLs treated with ethanol that could be mapped to the Gene 1.0 ST array are also expressed in at least one part of the brain. Many were also identified in studies of post-mortem brain. These data can be used to prioritize genes reported by GWAS at sub-genome-wide levels.
