# Identification of genes and genetic networks contributing to opioid use disorder traits in the Hybrid Rat Diversity Panel

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO · 2021 · $473,937

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Over the past 5-10 years, the opioid epidemic has become a national crisis in the United States. Currently, few
good treatment options exist, and little is known about the underlying mechanisms contributing to risk for
addiction and to drug effects on the brain. This project addresses both of these issues using a rat genetic
model to identify genetic contributions to phenotypes associated with the development of opioid use disorders.
We will identify oxycodone-related phenotypic, genotypic, and RNA expression differences within the
HXB/BXH RI strains and 15 additional inbred rat strains for which genetic data are available, drawn from the
Hybrid Rat Diversity Panel (HRDP). Our preliminary phenotypic data suggest that the founder strains
SHR/OlaIpcv and BN-Lx/Cub, along with the ACI strain, differ on many of the phenotypic traits assessed
including the self-administration of oxycodone. In Aim 1, 48 inbred rat strains will be assessed for multiple
oxycodone-related behavioral phenotypes, including measures of analgesia. Quantitative trait loci (QTL)
associated with these behaviors will be identified using existing genetic data. In Aim 2, we will perform RNA
sequencing using tissue from the nucleus accumbens and amygdala in naïve animals and in rats following
oxycodone self-administration. This will identify genes that differ by strain, which will be informative about
baseline risk by genotype, and also identify genes that differ in response to oxycodone (shared and unshared
across strains). Because genes do not operate independently, but work in networks and pathways, Aim 3 will
employ a systems genetics approach to identify genetic networks involved in baseline differences across
strains and in the response to oxycodone self-administration. Across all aims, we will compare the QTL
regions, RNA expression differences, and gene network pathways to those found by others in the field using
complementary rodent models and/or human studies (including our collaborator Dr. Olivier George) in order to
narrow focus on priority genes and pathways.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10219230
- **Project number:** 5U01DA051937-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
- **Principal Investigator:** Ryan K Bachtell
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $473,937
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10219230

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10219230, Identification of genes and genetic networks contributing to opioid use disorder traits in the Hybrid Rat Diversity Panel (5U01DA051937-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10219230. Licensed CC0.

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