# Project 2 - Genetic analysis of ethanol-related behavior in Drosophila

> **NIH NIH P50** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $189,910

## Abstract

Project Summary – Project 2
 Alcohol use disorder (AUD) imposes a substantial burden on society with far-reaching health
consequences. The identification of novel genes and genetic pathways that influence alcohol-related behaviors
will facilitate the development of new therapeutic interventions for AUD. In this project my laboratory will use
the Drosophila (fruit fly) model to investigate genes and genetic pathways that have novel influences on
ethanol-related behavior. Molecular-genetic information from this project should ultimately lead to better
diagnosis, risk determination and treatment of AUD in humans.
 A major focus for this project will be to explore the role of the MADS-box transcription factor Mef2 family in
ethanol-related behavior. Our preliminary studies implicate a MEF2 family member in the subjective response
to ethanol (SRE) in humans and also show that the sole fly ortholog Mef2 is required for normal ethanol
sedation. Our data suggest that altered ethanol sedation in humans might underlie changes in SRE and that
changes in both sedation and SRE might be driven by genetic variance in MEF2 genes. Our results also
support the hypothesis that a deeper understanding of the Mef2 family of genes could lead to important
insights regarding behavioral responses to ethanol, SRE and potentially AUD.
 Another major focus of this project will be to continue using the fly as an experimental platform for
investigating the role of other candidate genes in ethanol behavior prioritized by our Bioinformatics and
Analysis Core and/or implicated by studies in other Center Projects. Given our success with studies on Clic,
the ryanodine receptor and Mef2, we will further invest in this cross-species approach for exploring conserved
genes and pathways underlying ethanol-related behaviors in flies and multiple aspects of alcohol abuse in
humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10429952
- **Project number:** 5P50AA022537-08
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL S. GROTEWIEL
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $189,910
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-08-05 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10429952

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10429952, Project 2 - Genetic analysis of ethanol-related behavior in Drosophila (5P50AA022537-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10429952. Licensed CC0.

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