The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study
Background: Decathlon is a multimodality sport that requires the combination of endurance, strength, speed, and agility. A polymorphism present in the gene encoding for alpha-actinin-3 (<i>ACTN3</i>) potentially influences sports performance, since this protein is a structural component...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Jose Ricardo de Assis Nunes Halil Ibrahim Ceylan Paulo F. de Almeida-Neto Eugenia Murawska-Ciałowicz Nicola Luigi Bragazzi Gilmara Gomes de Assis |
| author_facet | Jose Ricardo de Assis Nunes Halil Ibrahim Ceylan Paulo F. de Almeida-Neto Eugenia Murawska-Ciałowicz Nicola Luigi Bragazzi Gilmara Gomes de Assis |
| author_sort | Jose Ricardo de Assis Nunes |
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| description | Background: Decathlon is a multimodality sport that requires the combination of endurance, strength, speed, and agility. A polymorphism present in the gene encoding for alpha-actinin-3 (<i>ACTN3</i>) potentially influences sports performance, since this protein is a structural component of skeletal muscle contributing to muscle contraction effectiveness. Aim: To investigate whether the presence of the <i>ACTN3 R577X</i> polymorphism is associated with decathlon athletes’ performance in the different modalities of decathlon. Methods: Thirty-one male athletes from the Brazilian national federation of decathlon aged between 18 and 50 years were genotyped for the <i>ACTN3 R577X</i> polymorphism using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The athletes’ latest decathlon performances were recorded over ten competitions. The Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was verified. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was utilized to assess the relationship between the obtained sports performance (score) by event and sets of events (speed events, jumps, and throws) with significance considered at <i>p</i> < 0.05. Results: Strong and significant correlations were identified between the speed events, the jumping, and the launching performances. Among the athletes, the distribution of <i>ACTN3</i> genotypes was as follows: <i>R577R</i>—51.6%, <i>R577X</i>—48.4%, and <i>X577X</i>—0%, indicating a complete absence of homozygosity for the non-functional <i>X</i> allele in this cohort. No significant differences in sports performance (score) could be observed based on the genotype. Conclusions: Our results may support the importance of the <i>ACTN3</i> genotype, specifically, the presence of the <i>577R</i> allele, as one of the contributive factors for athletes’ performance in modalities that involve muscle strength, power, and speed. However, given the small sample size and the retrospective nature of this study, further research is warranted. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b3fef4ceeeec472ab25c11dde94e23122025-08-20T03:11:22ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-05-01141178210.3390/cells14110782The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot StudyJose Ricardo de Assis Nunes0Halil Ibrahim Ceylan1Paulo F. de Almeida-Neto2Eugenia Murawska-Ciałowicz3Nicola Luigi Bragazzi4Gilmara Gomes de Assis5João Pessoa University Center (UNIPE), João Pessoa 58053-000, PB, BrazilPhysical Education and Sports Teaching Department, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Atatürk University, 25240 Erzurum, TurkeyDepartment of Physical Education, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal 59078-970, RN, BrazilPhysiology and Biomechanics Department, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, 51-612 Wrocław, PolandLaboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaEscola Superior de Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun’Álvares, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, PortugalBackground: Decathlon is a multimodality sport that requires the combination of endurance, strength, speed, and agility. A polymorphism present in the gene encoding for alpha-actinin-3 (<i>ACTN3</i>) potentially influences sports performance, since this protein is a structural component of skeletal muscle contributing to muscle contraction effectiveness. Aim: To investigate whether the presence of the <i>ACTN3 R577X</i> polymorphism is associated with decathlon athletes’ performance in the different modalities of decathlon. Methods: Thirty-one male athletes from the Brazilian national federation of decathlon aged between 18 and 50 years were genotyped for the <i>ACTN3 R577X</i> polymorphism using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The athletes’ latest decathlon performances were recorded over ten competitions. The Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was verified. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was utilized to assess the relationship between the obtained sports performance (score) by event and sets of events (speed events, jumps, and throws) with significance considered at <i>p</i> < 0.05. Results: Strong and significant correlations were identified between the speed events, the jumping, and the launching performances. Among the athletes, the distribution of <i>ACTN3</i> genotypes was as follows: <i>R577R</i>—51.6%, <i>R577X</i>—48.4%, and <i>X577X</i>—0%, indicating a complete absence of homozygosity for the non-functional <i>X</i> allele in this cohort. No significant differences in sports performance (score) could be observed based on the genotype. Conclusions: Our results may support the importance of the <i>ACTN3</i> genotype, specifically, the presence of the <i>577R</i> allele, as one of the contributive factors for athletes’ performance in modalities that involve muscle strength, power, and speed. However, given the small sample size and the retrospective nature of this study, further research is warranted.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/11/782ACTN3 polymorphismdecathlonalpha-actininsports performancemuscle strength |
| spellingShingle | Jose Ricardo de Assis Nunes Halil Ibrahim Ceylan Paulo F. de Almeida-Neto Eugenia Murawska-Ciałowicz Nicola Luigi Bragazzi Gilmara Gomes de Assis The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study Cells ACTN3 polymorphism decathlon alpha-actinin sports performance muscle strength |
| title | The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study |
| title_full | The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study |
| title_short | The Influence of the ACTN3 R577X Genotype on Performance in Brazilian National-Level Decathlon Athletes: A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | influence of the actn3 r577x genotype on performance in brazilian national level decathlon athletes a pilot study |
| topic | ACTN3 polymorphism decathlon alpha-actinin sports performance muscle strength |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/11/782 |
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