Gene polymorphisms and sport attitude in Italian athletes

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the distribution of polymorphisms in the ACE, ACTN3, NOS3, UCP2, and UCP3 genes, which has been reported to be correlated with different physiological parameters, played a role in sport performance. We focused on a cohort of 82 Italian athletes: first of all, athletes were divided according to type of sport: team (n=72) versus individual (n=10), and subsequently, according to the performance, into "power" sports (n=29; sprinters, short distance swimmers, and volleyball players) and "intermittent" sports (n=53; football, basketball, and hockey players).

Results: All the populations studied were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the following polymorphisms: ACE (I/D), ACTN3 (R577X), NOS3 (-786 T/C), UCP2 (A55V), and UCP3 (-55 C/T). We observed that the frequency of NOS3-786 T and UCP2 C alleles was higher among power athletes compared with controls (p=0.011 and p=0.012, respectively); these alleles were also overrepresented in individual athletes (p=0.02 and p=0.045, respectively), although a small sample was analyzed. The frequency of NOS3 298G allele was higher among power athletes compared with controls (p=0.015); these data remained suggestive after correction for multiple testing.

Conclusion: We found a suggestive association between NOS3 (-786 T/C; G298A) and UCP2 (A55V) polymorphisms and power athletes, whereas no significant correlation was found with UCP3 (-55C/T), ACE (I/D), and ACTN3 (R577X) polymorphisms, in contrast to previous studies. Analysis of multiple performance-associated genetic polymorphisms needs further examination to explain the relationship between genetic background and potential success in sport performance.