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Modulation of voluntary ethanol consumption by beta-arrestin 2

K. Björk^*,, R. Rimondini^,, A. C. Hansson^*, A. Terasmaa^*, P. Hyytiä, M. Heilig^* and W. H. Sommer^*,1

^* Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA;

Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;

Department of Pharmacology, University of Bologna, Italy; and

Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

¹Correspondence: Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, NIAAA/NIH, 10 Center Dr., B 10, R 15330, Bethesda, MD, USA 20892-1108. E-mail: wolfgang.sommer{at}mail.nih.gov

Beta-arrestin 2 is a multifunctional key component of the G protein-coupled receptor complex and is involved in µ-opiate and dopamine D2 receptor signaling, both of which are thought to mediate the rewarding effects of ethanol consumption. We identified elevated expression of the beta-arrestin 2 gene (Arrb2) in the striatum and the hippocampus of ethanol-preferring AA rats compared to their nonpreferring counterpart ANA line. Differential mRNA expression was accompanied by different levels of Arrb2 protein. The elevated expression was associated with a 7-marker haplotype in complete linkage disequilibrium, which segregated fully between the lines, and was unique to the preferring line. Furthermore, a single, distinct, and highly significant quantitative trait locus for Arrb2 expression in hippocampus and striatum was identified at the locus of this gene, providing evidence that genetic variation may affect a cis-regulatory mechanism for expression and regional control of Arrb2. These findings were functionally validated using mice lacking Arrb2, which displayed both reduced voluntary ethanol consumption and ethanol-induced psychomotor stimulation. Our results demonstrate that beta-arrestin 2 modulates acute responses to ethanol and is an important mediator of ethanol reward.—Björk, K., Rimondini, R., Hansson, A. C., Terasmaa, A., Hyytiä, P., Heilig, M., Sommer, W. H. Modulation of voluntary ethanol consumption by beta-arrestin 2.

Key Words: alcoholism • animal model • brain • gene expression • ethanol preference