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Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem worldwide. Although drinking habits are known to be inherited, few genes have been identified that are robustly linked to alcohol drinking. We conducted a genome-wide association metaanalysis and replication study among >105,000 individuals of European ancestry and identified β-Klotho (KLB) as a locus associated with alcohol consumption (rs11940694; P = 9.2 × 10-12). β-Klotho is an obligate coreceptor for the hormone FGF21, which is secreted from the liver and implicated in macronutrient preference in humans. We show that brain-specific β-Klotho KO mice have an increased alcohol preference and that FGF21 inhibits alcohol drinking by acting on the brain. These data suggest that a liver-brain endocrine axis may play an important role in the regulation of alcohol drinking behavior and provide a unique pharmacologic target for reducing alcohol consumption.

Original publication

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1611243113

Type

Conference paper

Publication Date

13/12/2016

Volume

113

Pages

14372 - 14377

Keywords

FGF21, alcohol consumption, human, mouse model, β-Klotho, Alcohol Drinking, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Brain, Emotions, Female, Fibroblast Growth Factors, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Liver, Male, Membrane Proteins, Mice, Mice, 129 Strain, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide