Project description:<p>A genome-wide association study on smoking behavior and nicotine dependence in Icelandic smokers, assessed by the number of cigarettes smoked per day, smoking initiation and degree of dependence on nicotine.</p> <p>The number of cigarettes smoked per day was ascertained through questionnaires given to individuals participating in multiple disease projects at deCODE Genetics (n=16,483). Smoking initiation was analyzed by comparing those that have ever smoked (n=16,483) versus those that have never smoked (n=21,667). The nicotine dependence analysis included 3,435 nicotine dependent cases (score 4 or higher on Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) or endorsement of at least three of the seven Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria) and 3,344 low-quantity smokers as controls.</p>
Project description:The mechanism of nicotine dependence and nicotine related pain remains unclear. tRNAs, a major source of small noncoding RNAs (ncRNA), are the immediate areas of research focus, which have an important role in many pathophysiological processes. However, the role of tRNAs on nicotine dependence and related pain hasn’t been explored yet. In this study, our results indicated that the expression profiles of tRNAs have changed in nicotine treated rats as compared with normal rats, and among those, some differentially expressed tRNAs might be novel targets for nicotine dependence or nicotine related pain.
Project description:Nicotine withdrawal can diversely affect brain gene expression patterns. In the brain, the dorsal striatum is a hub of nicotine dependence. Previous studies have shown that nicotine dependence leads to functional alterations in the dorsal striatum. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulates cellular functions and dysfunctions. Here, we performed small RNA sequencing from the dorsal striatum of mice at 7 days after nicotine withdrawal. Our results show that nicotine withdrawal does not notably impact miRNA expression profile in the dorsal striatum, but a few miRNAs were significantly altered in response to nicotine withdrawal. These results suggest that nicotine withdrawal has a small but significant impact on the miRNA expression profile in the mouse dorsal striatum.
Project description:Cigarette smoking is one of the largest causes of preventable death worldwide. Smoking behaviors, including age at smoking initiation (ASI), smoking dependence (SD), and smoking cessation (SC), are all complex phenotypes determined by both genetic and environmental factors as well as their interactions. To identify susceptibility loci for each smoking phenotype, numerous studies have been conducted, with approaches including genome-wide linkage scans, candidate gene-based association analysis, and genome-wide association study (GWAS). Therefore, we conducted an exome-wide association study to identify new susceptibility loci for the risk of nicotine dependence in European-American populations.
Project description:Cigarette smoking is one of the largest causes of preventable death worldwide. Smoking behaviors, including age at smoking initiation (ASI), smoking dependence (SD), and smoking cessation (SC), are all complex phenotypes determined by both genetic and environmental factors as well as their interactions. To identify susceptibility loci for each smoking phenotype, numerous studies have been conducted, with approaches including genome-wide linkage scans, candidate gene-based association analysis, and genome-wide association study (GWAS). Therefore, we conducted an exome-wide association study to identify new susceptibility loci for the risk of nicotine dependence in African-American populations.