Brooks P J, Lipsky R H
Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Alcohol Res Health. 2000;24(3):189-92.
Alcohol affects the process by which genes direct the synthesis of proteins (i.e., expression). Therefore, patterns of gene expression in the presence of alcohol can help scientists identify the specific molecular sites of alcohol's actions within the brain. New technologies can detect and quantify changes in the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously by scanning microscopic gene arrays applied to glass or silicon chips an inch or so square. However, genes whose activity is altered in the presence of alcohol may either be contributing to alcoholism development or may be reacting to alcohol's presence. This question can be researched by observing the effects of manipulating the level of specific gene products. One way to accomplish this end is by means of viruses that have been engineered to express a specific gene in infected cells. This technique has been applied successfully in studying addictive behaviors. It is suggested that patterns of gene expression may become a diagnostic tool, with different disease states being characterized by distinct expression profiles.
酒精会影响基因指导蛋白质合成的过程（即表达）。因此，在有酒精存在的情况下基因表达模式有助于科学家确定酒精在大脑中的具体分子作用位点。新技术可以通过扫描应用于一平方英寸左右的玻璃或硅芯片上的微观基因阵列，同时检测和量化数千个基因表达的变化。然而，在有酒精存在的情况下其活性发生改变的基因，可能是导致酒精中毒发展的原因，也可能是对酒精的存在做出反应。这个问题可以通过观察操纵特定基因产物水平的效果来进行研究。实现这一目标的一种方法是借助经过改造后能在受感染细胞中表达特定基因的病毒。这项技术已成功应用于成瘾行为的研究。有人提出，基因表达模式可能会成为一种诊断工具，不同的疾病状态具有独特的表达谱特征。
