Narrative review of genes, environment, and cigarettes

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the US, emphasizing the need to understand which genes and environments are involved in the establishment of cigarette use behaviors. However, to date, no comprehensive review of the influence of genes, the environment, and their interaction on cigarette use exists. This narrative review provides a description of gene variants and environmental factors associated with cigarette use, as well as an overview of studies investigating gene-environment interaction (GxE) in cigarette use. GxE studies of cigarette use have been useful in demonstrating that the influence of genes changes as a function of both the phenotype being measured and the environment. However, it is difficult to determine how the effect of genes contributing to different phenotypes of cigarette use changes as a function of the environment. This suggests the need for more studies of GxE, to parse out the effects of genes and the environment across the development of cigarette use phenotypes, which may help to inform potential prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing the prevalence of cigarette use. Key Messages No comprehensive reviews of the influence of genes, the environment, and their interaction on cigarette use exist currently. The influence of genes may change as a function of the environment and the phenotype being measured. It is difficult to determine how the effect of genes contributing to different phenotypes of cigarette use changes according to environmental context, suggesting the need for more studies of gene-environment interaction related to cigarette use to parse out effects.