Association of serotoninergic pathway gene variants with elite athletic status in the Polish population.
Beata BorzemskaKrzysztof SafranowJakub Grzegorz AdamczykDariusz BoguszewskiKonrad SzymańskiIreneusz SoltyszewskiAnna BarczakMarcin SiewierskiRafal PloskiHenryk SozanskiCezary ZekanowskiPublished in: Journal of sports sciences (2019)
Genetic factors are known to influence sport performance. The aim of the present study was to assess genetic variants in genes coding for proteins potentially modulating activity of brain emotion centres in a group of 621 elite athletes (212 endurance, 183 power and 226 combat athletes) and 672 sedentary controls. Ten statistically significant variants were identified in genes encoding elements of serotoninergic, catecholaminergic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal systems in different sport groups. Of those the rs860573 variant in the FEV gene coding for transcription factor exclusively expressed in neurons of the central serotonin system is the only one whose frequency significantly differentiates all the groups of athletes studied, regardless of discipline, from the controls (p = 0.000026). Our results support the hypothesis that genetic variants potentially affecting mental processes and emotions, particularly in the serotonergic pathway, also influence the predispositions to athletic performance.
Keyphrases
- copy number
- genome wide
- genome wide identification
- transcription factor
- high school
- dna methylation
- body composition
- genome wide analysis
- physical activity
- depressive symptoms
- autism spectrum disorder
- spinal cord
- dna binding
- mental health
- skeletal muscle
- white matter
- resting state
- high intensity
- signaling pathway
- gene expression
- anterior cruciate ligament
- brain injury
- solid state
- multiple sclerosis