Association of the CKM rs8111989 Polymorphism with Injury Epidemiology in Football Players

Abstract

The influence of the rs8111989 polymorphism in the muscle-specific creatine kinase gene (CKM) on injury incidence is unknown. The aim was to investigate CKM polymorphism on injury incidence in high-performance football players. A cohort of 109 high-performance players was genotyped by using saliva samples. Injury incidence was similar in players with the GG, GA, and AA genotypes and did not modify incidence during training or match exposure (p=0.583 and p=0.737 respectively). GG players had a higher frequency of slight-severity injuries (60.0 vs. 10.2 vs. 24.2%, p<0.001), while GA players had a higher frequency of severe injuries (16.7 vs. 30.8 vs. 10.0%, p=0.021). GA players also had a higher frequency of muscle tears (34.8 vs. 59.0 vs. 20.0%, p<0.001). Muscle contracture was a more frequent injury in players with the GG genotype (40.0%, p<0.001). G allele carriers had lower frequencies of gradual-onset injuries (4.1 vs. 16.7%, p=0.035) and recurrent injuries (6.1 vs. 16.7%, p=0.003) than AA players. A allele carriers had higher frequency of severe injuries (10.0 vs. 21.9%, p=0.044) than GG players. Genotypes in the CKM rs8111989 polymorphism did not affect injury incidence in high-performance football players. Players with the GA genotype were more prone to severe injuries and muscle tears when compared to GG and AA players.

Genes Associated with Muscle, Tendon and Ligament Injury Epidemiology in Women’s Amateur Football Players

“…There was an association between match and training injuries in muscle damage genes, such as the CKM c.*800A>G polymorphism, in which, when comparing training and match injuries, it was shown that the GG genotype and G allele lead to higher risks of training injuries in women's amateur football players. These data differ from those found in a recent study in which no association was found between this polymorphism and the risk of training and match injuries in men's professional football players [19]. To date, the CKM gene has not been extensively studied in relation to muscle injury, but it has been shown that it can be used for athlete selection due to the effect that the GG genotype has on muscle damage in football players [18,41].…”

“…In recent years, genetics, especially in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) studies, has provoked great interest in susceptibility to injury and in the characteristics of tissues that are more prone to injury, because these play such important roles [18][19][20]. Genetics play an important role in determining the structure and function of connective tissue such as muscles, tendons and ligaments.…”

“…Several studies have shown the association of genetics, especially in muscle injuries, focusing on the alpha-actinin 3 (ACTN3) and angiotensin-converting enzyme isoform 1 (ACE1) genes [20,[24][25][26]. However, recent studies focusing on genetic scores in genes related to sport injuries have shown that the gene associated with muscle metabolism, adenosine monophosphate deaminase 1 (AMPD1), is mostly responsible for muscle injuries in men's professional football players [18] and men and women elite endurance athletes [27], discovering new associations in muscle injuries in football players in the creatine kinase muscle (CKM) gene [19], and the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) gene (also known as MYLK) and muscle damage during sports practice in men and women endurance runners [28]. To date, there has been a lack of specific genetic studies regarding injuries in women's football compared to other sports or even in men's football.…”

Genes and Athletic Performance: The 2023 Update

“…For example, combat athletes are more likely than untrained subjects to have the warrior ( COMT rs4680 GG) genotype [ 85 ], whilst chess players demonstrate an increased frequency of an allele linked to improved memory and spatial ability ( KIBRA rs17070145 T) [ 86 ]. Such discoveries demonstrate the broadening nature of sports genomics in recent times, with focus expanding from the traditional domain of investigating what makes elite performers different from the general population into other domains, such as sports nutrigenetics [ 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ] and areas of sports medicine, such as genomic variants associated with soft-tissue injuries and sports-related concussion [ 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ].…”