semmelweis university - Faculty of Physical Education and Sport ...

Anna Udvardy-Zsolt Komka-Vince Szőke
Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Supervisor: Dr. Miklós Tóth, professor
The Role of ADRB2 Polymorphisms in Sport Selection
Introduction: Sport selection is a considerable practical application field of sportgenomics.
International studies have already proved that many allele combinations have significantly
higher frequency in elite athlete population. In Hungary a genotype database has also been
started to set up. We evaluate the frequency of 12 polimorphisms among Hungarian elite
athletes. We have already related our experiences of the possible role of the ACE and ACTN3
polimorphisms concerning congenital sport abilities. Now we introduce the ADRB2, one of
the main points in exercise induced adrenalin response, from the group of genes which we
studied. We examined genotypes at the R16G and Q27E SNPs. These two gene variants have
been related to several cardiorespiratorical fenotypes in previous studies. (Rosskopf, 2008).
There has been formed many kinds of sport grouping based on metabolism and the way of
loading. Therefore sport abilities could be associated to genetic profiles. The cyclic and
acyclic grouping proved to be the best to classify different kinds of sports in connection with
physiol ogical background.
Methods: We iniciated 63 men and 68 women elite Hungarian athletes in our study.
The specification of genotypes have been done from venal blood with polymerase chain
reaction (PCR).
Results: In Hungarian elite athletes (n=131) the cyclic subpopulation has higher R and Q
frequency values. Results of physiological/antropometrical examinations and exercise
physiology tests can be related to certain allele combinations which can bring us closer to
understanding background processes.
Allele combination frequencies in the acyclic group(n=72) were: R16G: GG: 0,29; GR: 0,47;
RR: 0,24; Q27E: QQ: 0,43; QE: 0,47; EE: 0,097. And in the cyclic group (n=59) were: R16G:
GG: 0,31; GR: 0,58; RR: 0,12; Q27E: QQ: 0,25; QE: 0,56; EE: 0,19. The single allele
frequency in acyclic and cyclic population were: G: 0,53 vs. 0,59; R: 0,47 vs. 0,41; Q: 0,67
vs. 0,63; E: 0,33 vs. 0,47. The E allele of ADRB2 gene was significantly higher (p