AKR1A1 and cancer: Ethanol-induced histone modification is associated with altered expression of several genes, including those encoding the ethanol-metabolizing enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), the cancer-promoting gene (i.e., oncogene) c-jun, and the gene encoding a protein called plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), which is involved in the dissolution of blood clots and in various diseases (e.g., fibrosis and certain types of cancer) (see table 1).