Association of the MuRF-1/TRIM63 polymorphism with muscle injuries in professional soccer players

Abstract

Muscle injuries are one of the biggest medical problems in professional soccer. Evidence has suggested that genetic polymorphism is a mediating factor in physiological and structural alterations that can lead to muscle injury. The TRIM63 gene polymorphism may affect the MuRF-1 protein, which is vital in the regulation of muscle mass, and is differentially regulated by exercise mode, muscle contraction, and training status. However, central aspects of the relationship between genetic variations, the environment, and muscle injuries still need to be explained. This study aimed to investigate whether MuRF-1/TRIM63 (A/G, rs2275950) was associated with the occurrence of muscle injury in professional soccer players. Forty-six Brazilian soccer players were evaluated. Genomic DNA was extracted using blood samples and semi-structured interviews on muscle injuries were applied after two seasons (2021-2022). Fisher's exact test was used to verify if MuRF-1/TRIM63 was associated with muscle injuries. The MuRF-1/TRIM63 genotypes (c2 = 2.19; p = 0.292), the dominant model (c2 = 1.04; p = 0.299), and the recessive model (c2 = 1.94; p = 0.208) showed no association with muscle injuries in soccer players. Preliminary evidence suggests that this genetic polymorphism may not be a reliable biomarker of muscle injuries in Brazilian professional soccer players. Keywords: Football; Genetic, Muscle injury, Performance, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), Sport genomic.