Bowers B J
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
Alcohol Res Health. 2000;24(3):175-84.
Multiple genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of alcoholism. Researchers attempting to elucidate the roles of specific genes in alcoholism risk have benefited from advances in genetic engineering. Two important tools used by researchers include transgenic mice, in which a foreign gene is integrated into an animal's genetic material, and knockout/knock-in mice, in which targeted genes either are rendered nonfunctional or are altered. Both of these animal models are currently used in alcohol research to determine how genes may influence the development of alcoholism in humans.
多种遗传和环境因素导致酒精成瘾的发生。试图阐明特定基因在酒精成瘾风险中作用的研究人员受益于基因工程的进展。研究人员使用的两个重要工具包括转基因小鼠（将外源基因整合到动物的遗传物质中）和基因敲除/敲入小鼠（使目标基因失去功能或发生改变）。目前，这两种动物模型都用于酒精研究，以确定基因如何影响人类酒精成瘾的发展。
