THE EVALUATION OF ACTN3 R577X POLYMORPHISM IN ELITE MALE TURKISH ATHLETES


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KURTULUŞ M., KESKİN K., GÜNAY M.

Niğde Üniversitesi Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, cilt.19, sa.3, ss.330-340, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

Athletic performance is a complex genetic trait influenced by environmental interaction and genetic make-up. The α actinin-3 protein encoded by the ACTN3 gene might be associated with athletic status. The aims of this study were to evaluate the differences in the genotype distribution of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism in elite Turkish wrestlers, football players, and endurance runners and to investigate whether this polymorphism is associated power/strength (wrestling and football) and endurance-based athletes (endurance running) with athletic performance. 53 wrestlers, 71 football players, 34 endurance runners, including 56 controls were participated to this study. Genotyping of ACTN3 R577X polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The ACTN3 genotype frequencies of athletes were 37.7% RR, 52.8% RX, and 9.4% XX for wrestling, 43.7% RR, 40.8% XX, and 15.5% XX for fooball players, and 32.4% RR, 47.1% RX, and 20.6% XX for endurance running. To establish the differences in the genotype distribution and allelic frequency of the ACTN3 R577X were compared elite Turkish athletes with controls, and power/strength with endurance-based athletes. No significant difference was observed among athlete cohorts (p>0.05). Our findings verified that although there are many diverse over metabolic and mechanical determinants, the ACTN3 gene is similar over distinct types of sports disciplines, such as wrestling, endurance running and soccer.