GNB3C825T Polymorphism and Elite Athletic Status: A Replication Study with Two Ethnic Groups

Current Progress in Sports Genomics

“…These results were even more pronounced when the subgroups of 20 top-level endurance athletes (50.0%) and 24 top-level sprinters (4.0%) were compared. However, when cohorts of athletes and controls from Israeli and Spanish populations were combined (155 Israeli and 153 Spanish athletes; 240 Israeli and 100 Spanish controls), no significant differences in genotypic and allelic frequencies between countries or groups were observed [97]. Furthermore, Sawczuk et al [98] could not confirm the prevalence of the T allele in 123 Polish endurance athletes in comparison with 354 sedentary volunteers.…”

Genetics and sport performance: current challenges and directions to the future

“…However, even if the replication occurs in more than one population, it does not mean that the same association will be found in every population of the world 29 . In fact, associations found in a study are frequently not replicated in subsequent studies [30][31][32][33] . Depending on the characteristics of the studies that showed the association (e.g., sample size, ethnic background and homogeneity of athletic cohort in terms of competitive level and sports disciplines), such inconsistencies may be interpreted as: 1) the polymorphism is not relevant to physical performance; 2) the polymorphism is relevant in a population with a speci c ethnic background; 3) the polymorphism is relevant for some speci c sports disciplines.…”

“…Most studies have been categorized athletes into two opposing groups, namely sprint/powerorientated sports vs. endurance-orientated sports 31,47 . Although this is an interesting approach, since it would group together sports under the in uence of the same genes and polymorphisms, the inclusion of sports in the same group that are not really analogous can represent a major flaw in the analysis.…”

“…Using this score, it is possible to assess the balance between several selected di erent polymorphisms that are knowingly relevant to performance 41 . From 2009 to the present day, the TGS has been used by some research groups and has proved to be a sensitive tool to di erentiate endurance from strength/power athletes 31,47,[53][54] . Additionally, the use of TGS has revealed that high-elite athletes have a polygenic pro le signi cantly di erent from the general population, which probably makes athletes more favourable to sports success 18 .…”

Using genetic tests for talent identification in sports: too soon to be true

“…The allelic distribution of one SNP can be different between ethnic groups. For instance, the T allele in the GNB3 C825T polymorphism was associated with Israeli athletic status (13) , but not with Spanish athletic status (14) . Therefore, any genetic test must take into consideration the inter-population differences.…”