In pubs, clubs, homes and parks all around the world, it is a common site to see people getting “boozed”. However scientists at the University of California may have found a solution for such mayhem. They have found a gene (aptly named happyhour) in the fruit fly genome, which when mutated away from the norm, allowed the flies to drink more alcohol without feeling the effects of it, as compared to regular fruit fly. When the flies gene was turned back on, their ability to tolerate alcohol was reduced to the normal accepted level among their fruit fly peers. It’s also been noted that this gene dampens a cellular network (epidermal growth factor or EGF) which has been implicated in cancer.

Drugs that also inhibit this network were tested on the flies and mice, and it was found that when on these drugs, the animals were more likely to not party hard and would not make it through the night. That is they were more affected by the alcohol that regularly. Surprisingly when such drugs were given to rats, they managed to control their urges and drank less alcohol. It’s believe that this may be related to dopamine and serotonin levels. This could lead to future treatments for alcoholics who can’t quit and provide a medical treatment to inhibit their addictions. The drugs which have before been tested on people for other reasons have shown to have little side effects, besides a skin rash.
References:
• http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17178-happyhour-gene-may-help-put-boozers-off-their-drink.html - 'Happyhour' gene may help put boozers off their drink - health - 21 May 2009 - New Scientist – 25/05/09
• Corl et al., Happyhour, a Ste20 Family Kinase, Implicates EGFR Signaling in Ethanol-Induced Behaviors, Cell (2009), doi:10.1016/j.cell.2009.03.020