Int J Sports Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-2443-9765
Genetics & Molecular Biology

Association between ACE (I/D) polymorphism and physical performance in Brazilian handballers

Valmir Oliveira Silvino
1   Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Nucleus of Study in Physiology Applied to Performance and Health (NEFADS), Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
2   Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia (RENORBIO) post-graduation program, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN28105)
,
Sandro Soares Almeida
3   Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
4   Faculdade Anhanguera de Guarulhos, Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
5   Department of Obstetrics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo Unifesp, São Paulo, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
,
Helen Matias Apaza
5   Department of Obstetrics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo Unifesp, São Paulo, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
,
Rayane Carvalho de Moura
1   Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Nucleus of Study in Physiology Applied to Performance and Health (NEFADS), Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
,
Crislane de Moura Costa
1   Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Nucleus of Study in Physiology Applied to Performance and Health (NEFADS), Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
,
Cirley Pinheiro Ferreira
1   Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Nucleus of Study in Physiology Applied to Performance and Health (NEFADS), Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
2   Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia (RENORBIO) post-graduation program, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN28105)
,
George Sales Beleense
1   Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Nucleus of Study in Physiology Applied to Performance and Health (NEFADS), Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
,
Sérgio Luís Galan Ribeiro
1   Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Nucleus of Study in Physiology Applied to Performance and Health (NEFADS), Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
,
Marcos Antonio Pereira dos Santos
1   Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Nucleus of Study in Physiology Applied to Performance and Health (NEFADS), Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN67823)
2   Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia (RENORBIO) post-graduation program, Teresina, Brazil (Ringgold ID: RIN28105)
› Author Affiliations
Supported by: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo FAPESP#2018/16565-0
Supported by: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Maranhão FAPEMA BD-02488/21

Abstract

This study investigated the association between the ACE (I/D) polymorphism and strength phenotypes in Brazilian male handball players, considering their playing position. A total of 105 male junior handball players and 92 controls were evaluated. The ACE I/D polymorphism was genotyped by conventional PCR followed by electrophoresis in agarose gel. All participants were anthropometrically evaluated and performed the standing long jump (SLJ) and medicine ball throw (MBT) tests. Athletes presented superior performance in the SLJ and MBT tests compared to the control group in all playing positions (p<0.01). No significant differences were observed in genotype or allele frequencies when comparing athletes and controls or among playing positions. However, a significant difference was observed when comparing all athletes to controls using the over-dominant model (II+DD vs. ID; p=0.035). Additionally, ID athletes had better performance in the MBT than DD players (p=0.04), athletes with II+ID and II+DD genotypes exhibited superior performance in the SLJ test (p<0.04), and ID athletes demonstrated increased height compared to II+DD counterparts (p=0.01). In conclusion, our data showed a potential association between ACE (I/D) polymorphism and overall athletic predisposition in handball players, with no association with playing position.



Publication History

Received: 03 April 2024

Accepted after revision: 25 September 2024

Article published online:
29 January 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 
  • References

  • 1 Hatzimanouil D, Oxizoglou N. Evaluation of the morphological characteristics and motor skills in the national junior handball teams of Greece and Yugoslavia. J Hum Mov Stud 2004; 46: 125-140
  • 2 Langevoort G, Myklebust G, Dvorak J. et al. Handball injuries during major international tournaments. Scand J Med Sci Sport 2007; 17: 400-407
  • 3 Povoas SCA, Seabra AFT, AscensaO ANAMR. et al. Physical and physiological demands of elite team handball. J Strength Cond Res 2012; 26: 3365-3375
  • 4 Wagner H, Finkenzeller T, Würth S. et al. Individual and Team Performance in Team-Handball: A Review. J Sport Sci Med 2014; 13: 808-816
  • 5 Michalsik LB, Aagaard P, Madsen K. Locomotion characteristics and match-induced impairments in physical performance in male elite team handball players. Int J Sports Med 2013; 34: 590-599
  • 6 Ahmetov II, Egorova ES, Gabdrakhmanova LJ. et al. Genes and Athletic Performance: An Update. Genet Sport 2016; 61: 41-54
  • 7 Jacques M, Eynon N, Hanson ED. Genetics and Sprint, Strength, and Power Performance: Candidate Gene Versus Genome-Wide Association Study Approaches. In: Bagchi D, Nair S, Sen C, Hrsg. Nutrition and Enhanced Sports Performance. London: Elsevier; 2019: 371-383
  • 8 Guilherme JPLF, Bertuzzi R, Lima-Silva AE. et al. Analysis of sports-relevant polymorphisms in a large Brazilian cohort of top-level athletes. Ann Hum Genet 2018; 82: 254-264
  • 9 Danser AHJ, Batenburg WW, van den Meiracker AH. et al. ACE phenotyping as a first step toward personalized medicine for ACE inhibitors. Why does ACE genotyping not predict the therapeutic efficacy of ACE inhibition?. Pharmacol Ther 2007; 113: 607-618
  • 10 Vaughan D, Huber-Abel FA, Graber F. et al. The angiotensin converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism alters the response of muscle energy supply lines to exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 2013; 113: 1719-1729
  • 11 Krishnan R, Sekar D, karunanithy S. et al. Association of angiotensin converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism with essential hypertension in south Indian population. Genes Dis 2016; 3: 159-163
  • 12 Almeida SS, Gregnani MF, da Costa IMG. et al ACE I/D polymorphism is a risk factor for the clinical severity of COVID-19 in Brazilian male patients. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 55: 180
  • 13 Almeida SS, Corgosinho FC, Amorim CE. et al. Different metabolic responses induced by long-term interdisciplinary therapy in obese adolescents related to ACE I/D polymorphism. JRAAS – J renin-angiotensin-aldosterone Syst 2017; 18: 1470320317703451-1470320317703451
  • 14 Ahmetov II, Hall ECR, Semenova EA. et al. Advances in sports genomics. Adv Clin Chem 2022; 107: 215-263
  • 15 da Rosa PC, Oneda G, Daros LB. et al. Can a genetic profile be related to performance in young talent track and field athletes? A pilot study. Motriz Rev Educ Fis 2022; 28: 28-35
  • 16 Ipekoglu G, Bulbul A, Cakir HI. A meta-analysis on the association of ACE and PPARA gene variants and endurance athletic status. J Sport Med Phys Fit 2022; 62: 795-802
  • 17 Costa AM, Silva AJ, Garrido ND. et al. Association between ACE D allele and elite short distance swimming. Eur J Appl Physiol 2009; 106: 785-790
  • 18 de Albuquerque-Neto SL, Herrera JJB, Rosa TS. et al. Interaction between ACTN3 (R577X), ACE (I/D), and BDKRB2 (–9/+9) polymorphisms and endurance phenotypes in Brazilian long-distance swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 2020; 1: 1-5
  • 19 Pescatello LS, Corso LML, Santos LP. et al. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme and the Genomics of Endurance Performance. Routledge Handb Sport Exerc Syst Genet 2019; 216-250
  • 20 Almeida SS, Barros CC, Moraes MR. et al. Plasma Kallikrein and Angiotensin I-converting enzyme N- and C-terminal domain activities are modulated by the insertion/deletion polymorphism. Neuropeptides 2010; 44: 139-143
  • 21 Almeida SS, Naffah-Mazzacoratti MG, Guimarães PB. et al. Carbamazepine inhibits angiotensin I-converting enzyme, linking it to the pathogenesis of temporal lobe epilepsy. Transl Psychiatry 2012; 2: e93-e93
  • 22 Eider J, Cieszczyk P, Ficek K. et al. The association between D allele of the ACE gene and power performance in Polish elite athletes. Sci Sports 2013; 28: 325-330
  • 23 Rodriguez S, Gaunt TR, Day INMM. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium testing of biological ascertainment for Mendelian randomization studies. Am J Epidemiol 2009; 169: 505-514
  • 24 The Jamovi Project. Jamovi (Version 1.1.7). 2021;
  • 25 Heffernan SM, Kilduff LP, Erskine RM. et al. Association of ACTN3 R577X but not ACE I/D gene variants with elite rugby union player status and playing position. Physiol Genomics 2016; 48: 196-201
  • 26 Wagner H, Finkenzeller T, Würth S. et al. Individual and team performance in team-handball: A review. J Sport Sci Med 2014; 13: 808-816
  • 27 Boulygina EA, Borisov OV, Valeeva EV. et al. Whole genome sequencing of elite athletes. Biol Sport 2020; 37: 295-304
  • 28 Muñoz A, López-Samanes Á, Aguilar-Navarro M. et al. Effects of CYP1A2 and ADORA2A Genotypes on the Ergogenic Response to Caffeine in Professional Handball Players. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11: 933
  • 29 Gutiérrez-Vargas R, Ugalde-Ramírez JA, Miranda G. et al. ACTN-3 and ECA genes expression do not influence the acute change in muscle mechanical and functional properties in youth handballers. Arch Med del Deport 2022; 39: 162-166
  • 30 Andrade-Mayorga O, Lavados-Romo P, Valdebenito C. et al Polimorfismo Genético ACTN3 R577X en Deportistas Universitarios Chilenos. Int J Morphol 2019; 37: 1493-1497 [in Spanish]
  • 31 Jówko E, Długołęcka B, Cieśliński I. et al. Polymorphisms in Genes Encoding VDR, CALCR and Antioxidant Enzymes as Predictors of Bone Tissue Condition in Young, Healthy Men. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24
  • 32 Rocha AW de O, Do Nascimento WM, Oliveira CM da C, et al. Frequency of gene ACE I polymorphism I-D in athletes of different sports. Rev Bras Med do Esporte 2020; 26: 107-112
  • 33 Alvarez R, Terrados N, Ortolano R. et al. Genetic variation in the renin-angiotensin system and athletic performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2000; 82: 117-120
  • 34 Trevisano RG, Matias H, de Jesus Teani T. et al. The frequency of the ACE I/D polymorphism in South America: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mol Cell Biochem 2024; 479: 2955-2972