Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme Genotype Does Not Strongly Correlate With Elite Endurance Athlete Status In Ethiopians

Abstract

There has been considerable interest over recent years in the use of the Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme (ACE) gene as a marker of athletic performance. A previous study found no difference in ACE polymorphism between elite Kenyan endurance runners and demographically-matched controls (Scott et al. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 141(2):169-175, 2005), a result that was somewhat surprising in view of contrasting findings in Caucasian populations. PURPOSE: To investigate the association between ACE polymorphisms and elite endurance athlete status in Ethiopians. METHODS: DNA was extracted from buccal swabs collected from 114 members of the Ethiopian national athletics team (E), 315 individuals representative of the general Ethiopian population (C), and 93 individuals from the Arsi region (A), where the majority of elite Ethiopian distance runners originate. RESULTS: There were no significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in athletes or controls. Ethiopian athletes did not differ significantly from general controls (P = 0.076) or Arsi (P = 0.87) in their ACE ID genotype frequencies (E: 16% II, C: 8% II, A: 13% II). The tendency towards significance in ID genotype frequency between athletes and general controls was not replicated in ACE 22982 genotype (E: 13% AA, C: 12% AA, A: 13% AA), where no significant differences were found (E vs C: P = 0.95, E vs A: P = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: As previously shown in elite Kenyan athletes, the ACE genotype is not directly associated with elite endurance status in Ethiopians. The tendency towards significance in ID genotype frequency between athletes and general controls may be a reflection of the region of Arsi where the majority of Ethiopian athletes originate. Research part-funded by The Royal Society, The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, and The Wellcome Trust