Stress Response Genes Affect Ethanol Tolerance in Drosophila

Abstract

The role of stress pathway in the behavioural responses to ethanol has been previously documented; however, the molecular mechanism governing tolerance of stress genes to ethanol sedation is yet to be fully elucidated. To study the interaction between stress response genes and ethanol tolerance in Drosophila, this study examined individual flies carrying mutations in the highwire (hiw ND8 , hiw EP1305 and hiw EP1308 ), heat shock protein 83 (Hsp83 08445 and Hsp83 e6A ) and multi-protein bridging factor 1 (mbf1 2 ) genes and showed that after 4 h of initial ethanol sedation, both the mbf1 and the Hsp83 mutants exhibited a substantial reduction in ethanol tolerance compared to their control flies. Conversely, two of the three hiw alleles displayed a sex-specific increase in ethanol tolerance compared to their control flies. All of these stress response genes are evolutionarily conserved and their roles in ethanol tolerance which is a precursor to alcohol addiction may help shed light on the biology underlying the complex phenomenon of alcohol dependence.