The Smoking Addiction Gene Complex

By studying the DNA marker profiles of smokers versus non-smokers it is clear to see variants among smokers that may trigger key smoking behaviors. An international research team associated three genes that contribute to the number of cigarettes smoked per day, one gene associated with the smoking initiation, and one other gene associated with smoking cessation (quitting). These variants lie on Chromosome 15, which has previously been linked to heavy smoking and nicotine dependence, in an area that also holds genes for nicotinic receptor genes.

These researchers gathered much data from the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to effectively  link specific genes to smoking addiction. Because smoking is associated with many diseases like heart disease and cancer, GWAS was able to supply a lot of data that can help test the links between genetic variants and smoking in one single study.



At this time, testing one's genome for variants can not do anything to provide treatment for smoking addictions. Hopefully with more data, possible gene therapies can be used to increase the rate of smoking cessation among addicts.