World-class performance in lightweight rowing: is it genetically influenced? A comparison with cyclists, runners and non-athletes.
In this study, genotype frequencies of several polymorphisms that are candidates to influence sports performance (ie, ACTN3 R577X, ACE ID, PPARGC1A Gly482Ser, AMPD1 C34T, CKMM 985bp/1170bp and GDF8 (myostatin) K153R) were compared in 123 nonathletic controls, 50 professional cyclists, 52 Olympic-class runners and 39 world-class rowers (medallists in world championships, lightweight category). Significant differences in genotype distributions among the groups were not found except for the ACE gene, that is, lower (p<0.05) proportion of II in rowers (10.3%) than in the total subject population (22.3%). In summary, sports performance is likely polygenic with the combined effect of hundreds of genetic variants, one possibly being the ACE ID polymorphism (at least in the sports studied here), but many others remain to be identified.
Muniesa
Carlos A
CA
Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid 28670, Spain.
González-Freire
Marta
M
Santiago
Catalina
C
Lao
José I
JI
Buxens
Amaya
A
Rubio
Juan C
JC
Martín
Miguel A
MA
Arenas
Joaquín
J
Gomez-Gallego
Felix
F
Lucia
Alejandro
A
D000659:AMP Deaminase / Q000235:genetics; D000185:Actinin / Q000235:genetics; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D052283:Creatine Kinase, MM Form / Q000235:genetics; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055435:Myostatin / Q000235:genetics; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D012767:Ships; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
C118456:ACTN3 protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; C525911:MSTN protein, human; D055435:Myostatin; C486497:PPARGC1A protein, human; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000185:Actinin; D052283:Creatine Kinase, MM Form; C488034:ACE protein, human; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; D000659:AMP Deaminase; C514117:AMPD1 protein, human