Background: Studies investigating associations between ACTN3 R577X and ACE I/D genotypes and endurance athletic status have been limited by small sample sizes from mixed sport disciplines and lack quantitative measures of performance.
Aim: To examine the association between ACTN3 R577X and ACE I/D genotypes and best personal running times in a large homogeneous cohort of endurance runners.
Methods: We collected a total of 1064 personal best 1500, 3000, 5000 m and marathon running times of 698 male and female Caucasian endurance athletes from six countries (Australia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Russia and UK).
The performance of professional strength and power athletes is influenced, at least partly, by genetic components. The main aim of this study was to investigate individually and in combination the association of ACE (I/D), ACTN3 (R577X) and PPARGC1A (Gly482Ser) gene polymorphisms with strength/power-oriented athletes' status in two cohorts of European athletes. A cohort of European Caucasians from Russia and Lithuania (161 athletes: by groups - weightlifters (87), powerlifters (60), throwers (14); by elite status - 'elite' (104), 'sub-elite' (57); and 1,202 controls) were genotyped for ACE, ACTN3 and PPARGC1A polymorphisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To date, studies investigating the association between ACTN3 R577X and ACE I/D gene variants and elite sprint/power performance have been limited by small cohorts from mixed sport disciplines, without quantitative measures of performance.
Aim: To examine the association between these variants and sprint time in elite athletes.
Methods: We collected a total of 555 best personal 100-, 200-, and 400-m times of 346 elite sprinters in a large cohort of elite Caucasian or African origin sprinters from 10 different countries.
Muscle fibre type is a heritable trait and can partly predict athletic success. It has been proposed that polymorphisms of genes involved in the regulation of muscle fibre characteristics may predispose the muscle precursor cells of a given individual to be predominantly fast or slow. In the present study, we examined the association between 15 candidate gene polymorphisms and muscle fibre type composition of the vastus lateralis muscle in 55 physically active, healthy men.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch concerned with predictors of talent in football has highlighted a number of potentially important and partially inherited measures such as body size, anaerobic power, aerobic capacity, agility, psychological profile, game intelligence and susceptibility to injuries. Genotyping for performance-associated DNA polymorphisms at an early age could be useful in predicting later success in football. The aim of the study was to investigate individually and in combination the association of common gene polymorphisms with football player's status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the study was to determine the association between ACE I/D, ACTN3 R577X and PPARA intron 7 G/C gene polymorphisms and strength-related traits in 457 middle school-age children (219 boys and 238 girls; aged 11 ± 0.4 years). The assessment of different phenotypes was conducted with a number of performance tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The functional 577R allele of the alpha-actinin-3 (ACTN3) gene has been reported to be associated with elite power athlete status, while the nonfunctional 577XX genotype (predicts an alpha-actinin-3 deficient phenotype) has been hypothesised as providing some sort of advantage for endurance athletes. In the present study, the distribution of ACTN3 genotypes and alleles in Russian endurance-oriented athletes were examined and association between ACTN3 genotypes and the competition results of rowers were sought.
Methods: 456 Russian endurance-oriented athletes of regional or national competitive standard were involved in the study.
The alpha-actinin-3 (ACTN3) gene encodes a Z-disc structural protein which is found only in fast glycolytic muscle fibers. A common nonsense polymorphism in codon 577 of the ACTN3 gene (R577X) results in alpha-actinin-3 deficiency in XX homozygotes. Previous reports have shown a lower proportion of the ACTN3 XX genotype in power-oriented athletes compared to the general population.
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