title: Interaction between SNPs in the NRF2 gene and elite endurance performance.
abstract: Nuclear respiratory factor 2 (NRF2), a member of the Cap-N-Collar family of transcription factors, plays an important role in the mitochondrial biogenesis, and variants of NRF2 gene have been associated with endurance performance. The aims of the present study were 1) to compare NRF2 A/C (rs12594956) and NRF2 C/T (rs8031031) genotype and allele frequencies between athletes of sports with different demands (endurance vs. sprinters) as well as between competitive levels (elite level vs. national level) and 2) to analyze the interaction of these two polymorphisms and its influence on the level of endurance performance. One hundred and fifty-five track and field athletes (74 endurance athletes and 81 sprinters) and 240 nonathletic healthy individuals participated in this study. Endurance athletes presented a higher frequency of the AA (rs12594956) and CT (rs8031031) genotypes than sprinters and the control group, as well as higher A and T alleles, respectively. These differences did not appear between the sprinters and control subjects. The odds ratio for harboring the "optimal genotype" (NRF2 AA+ NRF2 CT) was 4.53 (95% confidence interval 1.23-16.6) in the whole cohort of endurance athletes and 6.55 (95% confidence interval 1.12-38.25) in elite-level endurance athletes, compared with control subjects and both levels of sprinters. In conclusion, our data indicate that the NRF2 A/C and NRF2 C/T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated, separately and in combination, with elite endurance athletes, which supports the notion that these specific gene variants might belong to a growing group of SNPs that are associated with endurance performance.
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Life Sciences Division, Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel. eynon@wincol.ac.il
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eynon
authors.forename: Alberto Jorge
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Moran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagiv
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yamin
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagiv
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meckel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D005260:Female; D051268:GA-Binding Protein Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D014142:Track and Field
chemical_list: D051268:GA-Binding Protein Transcription Factor