Interactive Effects of Genetics and Acute Exercise and Exercise Training on Plasma Lipoprotein-Lipid and Blood Pressure Phenotypes

Abstract

Plasma lipoprotein-lipid and blood pressure (BP) profiles vary substantially among individuals, and their levels have generally been found to be moderately heritable (0.20–0.60). Candidate gene and genome-wide linkage and association studies have provided further evidence for a genetic basis for the variability in these cardiovascular (CV) disease risk factors among individuals. More recently, it has also become evident that there is substantial interindividual variability in the responses of different components of the plasma lipoprotein-lipid profile and BP to acute (i.e., immediate or short-term) exercise and exercise training (i.e., chronic or long-term). Minimal data are available to address the genetic basis for these responses in terms of heritability and genome-wide linkage or association studies, with most of the available data coming from candidate gene association studies. There is some evidence of association of the apolipoprotein E (APOE), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (LIPC), and endothelial lipase (LIPG) gene variants with the changes in components of the plasma lipoprotein-lipid profile with exercise training. Some evidence also indicates common variants at the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensinogen (AGT), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3), endothelin 1 (EDN1), and guanine nucleotide binding protein beta polypeptide 3 (GNB3) loci might be associated with the BP responses to either acute exercise or exercise training. However, no definitive conclusions can be generated from these previous results because many of these studies had relatively small sample sizes, they studied different genetic variants within the same gene, and generally had inconsistent results. Thus, substantially more work needs to be done to develop a genetic screening panel that might be used as a “personal medicine” tool to optimally apply exercise training to improving these important CV disease risk factors.KeywordsExerciseExercise trainingGeneticsGenotypeBlood pressurePlasma lipoprotein-lipidsCholesterolAngiotensin converting enzymeAngiotensinogenApolipoprotein ECholesteryl ester transfer protein