Association of mitochondrial haplogroup F with physical performance in korean population

Athletic performance is a complex multifactorial trait involving genetic and environmental factors. The heritability of an athlete status was reported to be about 70% in a twin study, and at least 155 genetic markers are known to be related with athlete status. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes essential proteins for oxidative phosphorylation, which is related to aerobic capacity. Thus, mtDNA is a candidate marker for determining physical performance. Recent studies have suggested that polymorphisms of mtDNA are associated with athlete status and/or physical performance in various populations. Therefore, we analyzed mtDNA haplogroups to assess their association with the physical performance of Korean population. The 20 mtDNA haplogroups were determined using the SNaPshot assay. Our result showed a significant association of the haplogroup F with athlete status (odds ratio, 3.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.094 to 8.464; p = 0.012). Athletes with haplogroup F (60.64 ± 3.04) also demonstrated a higher Sargent jump than athletes with other haplogroups (54.28 ± 1.23) (p = 0.041). Thus, our data imply that haplogroup F may play a crucial role in the physical performance of Korean athletes. Functional studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to further substantiate these findings.

Expression of Open Reading Frame 5 Protein of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Using Semliki Forest Virus Expression System

The ORF5 gene encodes a major envelope glycoprotein (GP5), which is one of the three major proteins of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The GP5 protein has been known to be a 24.5-26kDa N-glycosylated envelope protein. The GP5 is involved in inducing neutralizing antibodies. For this reason, the GP5 is primary candidate for the PRRSV subunit vaccine. To produce the native form of GP5 in mammalian cells, we have cloned the ORF5 gene from PRRSV CNV-1 into the Semliki Forest virus (SFV)-based expression vector, resulting in recombinant pSFV-ORF5. By the infection with recombinant pSFV-ORF5 to BHK-21 cells, the GP5 expression was confirmed by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting assay. The recombinant virus particle harboring ORF5 gene was infectious to BHK-21 and MARC-145. The RNA synthesis and expression of GP5 in the infected cell was also confirmed by RT-PCR.