Association study of performance-related polymorphisms in Brazilian combat-sport athletes highlights variants in the GABPB1 gene

Association Between the rs4680 Polymorphism of the COMT Gene and Personality Traits among Combat Sports Athletes

Physical performance has been the focus of studies examining genetic influences in martial arts. There has been little quantitative analysis of the interaction between psychological traits and gene variants in athletes. This study aimed to determine whether the rs4680 polymorphism of the COMT gene (catechol-O-methyltransferase) was linked to other sports phenotypes such as temperament, mental toughness, and stress tolerance. In our study, we concentrated on the case-control analysis of athletes in the aspect of their personality traits in association with the COMT gene polymorphism. Participants comprised 258 combat sports athletes and 278 healthy male individuals as a control group. Psychometric properties were assessed with the Revised Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R). COMT polymorphism testing was performed using real-time PCR. We found a statistically significant effect of a complex factor COMT rs4680 genotype with combat athletes/controls and novelty seeking (F2,530 = 5.958, p = 0.0028, η2 = 0.022), self-management (F2,530 = 6.772, p = 0.0012, η2 = 0.025), and with self-transcendence skills (F2,530 = 9.387, p = 0.00009, η2 = 0.034). The results are important for encouraging further studies on the genetic makeup of athletes in conjunction with personality traits. Due to the multigene and multifactorial nature of determinants of sports predispositions, we propose to take into account also other features, especially when studying genes related to cerebral neurotransmission. It is a holistic departure, and it clearly illustrates the relationship between the given characteristics of an athlete.

Genetic basis of elite combat sports athletes: a systematic review

Each athlete’s innate talent is widely recognized as one of the important contributors to achievement in athletic performance, and genetic factors determine a significant portion of talent or traits. Advances in DNA sequencing technology allow us to discover specific genetic variants contributing to these traits in sports performance. The objective of this systematic review is to identify genes that may play a significant role in the performance of elite-level combat sports athletes. Through the review of 18 full-text articles, a total of 109 different polymorphisms were investigated in 14,313 participants (2,786 combat sports athletes, 8,969 non-athlete controls, 2,558 other sports athletes). Thirteen polymorphisms showed a significant difference between elite combat athletes and the control group, and consist of 8 (PPARA rs4253778, ACTN3 rs1815739, ACE rs4646994, CKM rs8111989, MCT1 rs1049434, FTO rs9939609, GABPβ1 rs7181866 and rs8031031) oriented to athletic performance and 5 (COMT rs4680, FEV rs860573, SLC6A2 rs2242446, HTR1B rs11568817, ADRA2A rs521674) focused on psychological traits including emotional and mental traits in combat sports athletes. In addition, a recent whole genome sequencing study identified 4 polymorphisms (KIF27 rs10125715, APC rs518013, TMEM229A rs7783359, LRRN3 rs80054135) associated with reaction time in wrestlers. However, it is not clearly identified which genes are linked explicitly with elite combat sports athletes and how they affect the elite athlete’s status or performance in combat sports. Hence, a greater number of candidate genes should be included in future studies to practically utilize the genetic information.