Abstract
We investigated the association of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with athlete status and power/speed performance in elite male youth soccer players (ESP) and control participants (CON) at different stages of maturity. ESP (n = 535; aged 8-23 years) and CON (n = 151; aged 9-26 years) were genotyped for 10 SNPs and grouped according to years from predicted peak-height-velocity (PHV), i.e. pre- or post-PHV, to determine maturity status. Participants performed bilateral vertical countermovement jumps, bilateral horizontal-forward countermovement jumps, 20m sprints and modified 505-agility tests. Compared to CON, pre-PHV ESP demonstrated a higher ACTN3 (rs1815739) XX ('endurance') genotype frequency distribution, while post-PHV ESP revealed a higher frequency distribution of the PPARA (rs4253778) C-allele, AGT (rs699) GG genotype and NOS3 (rs2070744) T-allele ('power' genotypes/alleles). BDNF (rs6265) CC, COL5A1 (rs12722) CC and NOS3 TT homozygotes sprinted quicker than A-allele carriers, CT heterozygotes and CC homozygotes, respectively. COL2A1 (rs2070739) CC and AMPD1 (rs17602729) GG homozygotes sprinted faster than their respective minor allele carrier counterparts in CON and pre-PHV ESP, respectively. BDNF CC homozygotes jumped further than T-allele carriers, while ESP COL5A1 CC homozygotes jumped higher than TT homozygotes. To conclude, we have shown for the first time that pre- and post-PHV ESP have distinct genetic profiles, with pre-PHV ESP more suited for endurance, and post-PHV ESP for power and speed (the latter phenotypes being crucial attributes for post-PHV ESP). We have also demonstrated that power, acceleration and sprint performance were associated with five SNPs, both individually and in combination, possibly by influencing muscle size and neuromuscular activation.
Highlights
Human physical performance is influenced by a number of environmental and genetic factors [1]
We aimed to investigate the association of 10 candidate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with elite youth soccer players (ESP) playing status at different stages of maturity, and the individual and combined association of those SNPs with power/speed performance in ESP and CON according to maturity status
The aims of this study were to investigate the association of 10 candidate SNPs with elite youth soccer player (ESP) status at different stages of maturity, and to investigate the individual and combined associations of those 10 SNPs with power/speed performance in ESP and recreationally active control (CON) participants, according to maturity status
Summary
Human physical performance is influenced by a number of environmental and genetic factors [1]. The ACTN3 (rs1815739) R-allele and PPARA (rs4253778) C-allele have previously been associated with ESP status [3,4] and a greater composition of type II skeletal muscle fibres [18] but evidence linking the ACTN3 SNP with power/speed in professional soccer players is equivocal [5,6] It is still unclear whether these SNPs influence power/speed performance in ESP at different stages of maturity. The genetic association with power and speed in elite youth soccer players neural adaptation and, the ability to activate the relevant muscles and generate more power during jump and sprint performance This has yet to be investigated in ESP. This study was limited by a relatively low sample size (n = 125) and did not account for the confounding factor of maturity status It remains unknown if the VDR (rs2228570) A>G SNP is associated with power/sprint performance in ESP at different stages of maturity. We hypothesised that the physically mature players would have a more power-orientated genetic profile than the younger players, and that individuals possessing multiple ‘power’ genotypes would perform better in the power/speed assessments within their respective maturity groups
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