The role of PPARGC1A and the RS8192678 polymorphism in determining the performance of athletes

Abstract

Annotation. The impact of genetics on physiology and sports performance is one of the most controversial areas of sports medicine. Studies have shown that in addition to wild-type genes, almost 200 gene polymorphisms affect athletic performance, and more than 20 polymorphisms can determine the status of elite athletes. Sports results are manifested to a greater extent not only due to environmental factors, but also due to the athlete's own genotype, so the purpose of our review article is to study the effects of the PPARGC1A gene and its rs8192678 polymorphism on sports characteristics. For this purpose, we analyzed and processed the information known to date about a specific gene and the effects of its polymorphism, using the main databases. The PPARGC1A gene plays an important role in a number of physiological processes and is responsible for the metabolism of glucose and ATP, to a greater extent in muscle tissue; for oxidative processes in organs; and for switching one or another type of muscle fibers depending on the force load. It was proved that the expression of this gene can be induced under the influence of low temperatures. The PPARGC1A polymorphism has different effects on athletic performance, depending on its alleles. For example, the Gly allele, associated with muscle strength and endurance, favors athletic performance, while the Ser allele and the Ser-Gly genotype show no significant evidence. The results of our review are intended to help select a training strategy for each athlete in order to understand the role of environment and genotype in achieving athletic success.