UCI Researchers Discover Genetic Predisposition for Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction
In a study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, a team of UCI researchers have discovered certain genetic backgrounds that increase susceptibility to nicotine/tobacco addiction.
“The DNA in our genome is known to contribute to drug addiction,” says first author, Diana Carreño, pharmacological sciences PhD candidate at the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, who is graduating on March 10, 2023. “Which genes – segments of DNA – and nucleotides more greatly impact drug addiction is less understood.”
With an increase in use of electronic nicotine delivery devices (e-cigarettes) among the teenage population, understanding which genetic predispositions contribute to escalating use and abuse of nicotine-containing products and its impacts on the developing brain is critical for developing improved prevention and intervention strategies to curve drug addiction.
Nicotine, the primary psychoactive constituent in electronic cigarettes and tobacco, is known to selectively bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Certain nAChRs are more selectively found in brain reward regions that regulate drug seeking behavior, such as drug relapse, continued drug use, and addiction.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within the CHRNA6 gene have been shown in clinical studies to be associated with adolescent substance use and structural changes in brain reward regions.
“Our studies illustrate that the CHRNA6 3’UTR SNP genetic background contributes sex-dependently to nicotine seeking behavior during adolescence,” says Carreño. “Males appear to be at most risk if they have the GG genotype in the CHRNA6 3’UTR SNP while females were found at most risk of nicotine-induced activity such as locomotion/movement in an open arena and anxietolytic behavior such as increased time spent in the center of an open arena, based on our prior studies. Our results provide an important rationale for including both males and females in drug associated genetic studies.”
These findings have the potential to assist in targeted pharmacogenomic strategies to reduce, prevent, and intervene in nicotine/tobacco use and addiction.
“Understanding how our personalized genetic backgrounds make us more or less susceptible to nicotine/tobacco addiction is a key component of advancing precision health,” says Shahrdad Lotfipour, senior last author and assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, emergency medicine, pathology & laboratory medicine from the UCI School of Medicine.