FRIDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- In the fruit fly Drosophila, variation in gene copy number has a significant effect on sensitivity to volatile anesthetics, a finding that may have important implications for human patients, according to a study published in the July issue of Anesthesiology.

Debasmita P. Alone, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues studied the effects of halothane on the righting reflex in over 200 congenic Drosphilia strains, which had a deletion of 50 percent of the fly genome.

The researchers found that eight strains had a significantly altered sensitivity to halothane associated with the reduction in copy number which ranged from a 25 percent increased response to a 15 percent decreased response. They also observed similar responses when these strains were exposed to enflurane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane.

"Changes in copy number thus take their place alongside point mutations and transposon insertions as part of the spectrum of genetic aberrations that significantly influence anesthesia in flies," the authors conclude. "Current efforts are exploring how copy number variation influences the effectiveness of various drugs in patient populations. Our experience with Drosophila suggests that it would be worthwhile to include volatile anesthetics in such studies."

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