Risk-taking and stress tolerance as factors of belonging to professional and leisure groups and their association with six candidate genes

Abstract

The search for sensations is a complex set of behavioral responses that are significant features of a person's personality. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in the occurrence of allelic variants of the OXTR, HTR2A, HTR2C, CRHR1, BDNF, AR genes in two groups of men practicing risky behavior (racers and paratroopers) compared with the control sample; identification of differences in the frequencies of polymorphic variants of candidate genes in riders and paratroopers. Materials and methods. The materials for this article were collected (buccal epithelium or saliva) in the period from 2017 to 2021 in the Moscow, Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod regions and the city of Togliatti during the stages of the Russian Cup in auto racing (racers – 55 people), in the Republic of Kabardino- Balkaria at the mountaineering base "Bezengi" (paratroopers – 84 people), as well as the village of Bogovarovo, Kostroma Region (control sample: men and women – 214 people). Genotyping of the samples was carried out using PCR-RFLP and fragment analysis. With the help of population genetic analysis, the studied samples were characterized by a number of parameters (frequency of genotypes and alleles, expected heterozygosity). The similarity/difference of the samples in the genetic structure of the six genetic loci used was assessed using the G-test, Ney genetic distances and principal coordinates method, as well as analysis of molecular variability (FST) and Bayesian cluster analysis. Results. Some difference in the genetic structure of the sample of paratroopers from the control for all six loci, and racers from the control sample for the part of the loci used was shown. Discussion. The results obtained revealed the following: 1. persons practicing risky behavior are generally characterized by a certain genetic profile, in particular, according to the polymorphisms tested in our study; 2. individuals who demonstrate a willingness to take risks as part of their professional activities differ from those who prefer risky hobbies in terms of the combination of polymorphisms tested in our study, and are genetically predisposed to greater mental resistance to stress, conscientiousness and diligence, conscientiousness and extraversion.