Abstract
Genetic variants in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (rs4343), alpha-actinin-3 (ACTN3) (rs1815739), adrenoceptor-beta-1 (ADRB1) (rs1801253), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PPARGC1A) (rs8192678) genes have previously been associated with elite athletic performance. This study assessed the influence of polymorphisms in these candidate genes towards endurance test performance in 46 players from a single Australian Football League (AFL) team. Each player provided saliva buccal swab samples for DNA analysis and genotyping and were required to perform two independent two-kilometre running time-trials, six weeks apart. Linear mixed models were created to account for repeated measures over time and to determine whether player genotypes are associated with overall performance in the two-kilometre time-trial. The results showed that the ADRB1 Arg389Gly CC (p = 0.034) and PPARGC1A Gly482Ser GG (p = 0.031) genotypes were significantly associated with a faster two-kilometre time-trial. This is the first study to link genetic polymorphism to an assessment of endurance performance in Australian Football and provides justification for further exploratory or confirmatory studies.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Australia Football League (AFL) represents an elite Australian Football (AF) competition and has playing times of four 20-min quarters with time on, with games often spanning beyond 120 min due to stoppages
Note: Significant effects are bolded. This preliminary study investigates the frequency of genotypes from a group of candidate genes, which may contribute to the differences in endurance performance of elite Australian Football (AF) players
We previously reported that the frequency of the T allele of the ACTN3 R577X variant is underreported in elite AF [75,76], reflecting the results of Massidda, Bachis, Corrias, Piras, Scorcu, Culigioni, Masala, and Calo [76] who found no significance in ACTN3 polymorphism distribution in Italian team sports athletes, endurance athletes, and healthy controls
Summary
The Australia Football League (AFL) represents an elite AF competition and has playing times of four 20-min quarters with time on, with games often spanning beyond 120 min due to stoppages Positional differences in movement and matchplay profiles exist, with players commonly grouped as nomadic (i.e., high running volumes covering the entire playing surface, such as midfielders) or non-nomadic (key positions, such as ruckmen, forwards, and backs) players [14]. Due to these unique qualities, there are many athletic abilities required to be successful within the elite AFL competition
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