Genetics and power and speed in elite youth soccer

We
investigated the association of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
with athlete status and power/speed performance in elite male youth soccer
players (ESP) and control participants (CON) at different stages of maturation.
ESP (n=535; aged 8-23 years) and CON (n=151;
aged 9-26 years) were genotyped for 10 SNPs and grouped according to years
from/to predicted peak-height-velocity (PHV), i.e. pre- or post-PHV, to
determine maturation status. Participants performed bilateral vertical
countermovement jumps, bilateral horizontal-forward countermovement jumps, 20m
sprints and modified 505-agility tests. Compared to CON, pre-PHV
ESP demonstrated a higher ACTN3 (rs1815739) X-allele
frequency distribution, while post-PHV ESP revealed a higher frequency distribution
of the PPARA (rs4253778) C-allele, AGT
(rs699) GG genotype and NOS3 (rs2070744) T-allele. BDNF
(rs6265) CC, COL5A1 (rs12722) CC and NOS3 TT
homozygotes sprinted quicker than A-allele carriers, CT heterozygotes and CC
homozygotes, respectively. COL2A1 (rs2070739) CC and AMPD1 (rs17602729) GG homozygotes sprinted faster than their
respective minor allele carrier counterparts in CON and pre-PHV ESP, respectively.
BDNF CC homozygotes jumped further than
T-allele carriers, while ESP COL5A1 CC homozygotes
jumped higher than TT homozygotes. To conclude, we have shown for the first time that pre- and post-PHV ESP have distinct
genetic profiles, with pre-PHV ESP more suited for endurance, and post-PHV ESP
for power and speed (the latter phenotypes being crucial attributes for
post-PHV ESP). We have also demonstrated that power, acceleration and sprint
performance were associated with five SNPs, both individually and in
combination, possibly by influencing muscle size and neuromuscular activation.