ABSTRACT
Human physical performance is a complex multifactorial trait. Historically, environmental factors (e.g., diet, training) alone have been unable to explain the basis of all prominent phenotypes for physical performance. Therefore, there has been an interest in the study of the contribution of genetic factors to the development of these phenotypes. Support for a genetic component is found with studies that shown that monozygotic twins were more similar than were dizygotic twins for many physiological traits. The evolution of molecular techniques and the ability to scan the entire human genome enabled association of several genetic polymorphisms with performance. However, some biases related to the selection of cohorts and inadequate definition of the study variables have complicated the already difficult task of studying such a large and polymorphic genome, often resulting in inconsistent results about the influence of candidate genes. This review aims to provide a critical overview of heritable genetic aspects. Novel molecular technologies, such as next-generation sequencing, are discussed and how they can contribute to improving understanding of the molecular basis for athletic performance. It is important to ensure that the large amount of data that can be generated using these tools will be used effectively by ensuring well-designed studies.
Subject(s)
Athletic Performance/physiology , Physical Fitness , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Epigenesis, Genetic , Ethnicity/genetics , Gene-Environment Interaction , Genes, Mitochondrial , Genotype , High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing , Humans , Physical Fitness/psychologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The Brazilian population has been the focus of intensive genetic study due to admixture characteristics whereas there are few reports on the variability of VNTR loci in Brazil. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse genetic parameters in sample populations from two geographically distant regions: São Luis City, in Maranhão State and Campinas City, in São Paulo State. We investigated if distinct colonization influences could produce detectable differences in genetic background. SUBJECT AND METHODS: DNA samples from peripheral drained blood were obtained from unrelated individuals who underwent paternity testing. Allelic variation in six VNTR loci (D2S44, D4S139, D5S110, D8S358, DI0S28 and D17S79) was evaluated. The results were compared to reference databases available for general Latin-derived European and African-American populations as well as for other Brazilian groups. RESULTS: This study reveals that forensic population parameters did not show differences among regions, although we detected admixture values varying between the south-east and north-east of Brazil. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between the two samples are probably due to different admixture proportions of European- and African-derived alleles in each region: both populations are in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. In addition, the allelic frequency for all loci, in both populations, can be used as database for forensic purposes.
Subject(s)
Genetic Variation , Minisatellite Repeats , Alleles , Black People/genetics , Blotting, Southern , Brazil , Gene Frequency , Genetics, Population , Humans , White People/geneticsABSTRACT
During differentiation of the dividing epimastigote to the non-dividing metacyclic trypomastigote form of the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi there is a marked reduction in the rate of synthesis of the major proteins alpha- and beta-tubulin. Our results indicate that the control of synthesis of these proteins during the differentiation event is exerted at the level of alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNA accumulation.
