THE HIF1A GENE PRO582SER POLYMORPHISM IN POLISH POWER-ORIENTATED ATHLETES

In mammalian cells, oxygen homeostasis is regulated by the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF 1). To date, despite the fact that HIF1A has been associated with athletic performance, only two reports have investigated the hypothesis that HIF1A Pro582Ser genotype distribution may differ for power-orientated athletes and controls.The aim of this study was to perform confirmation studies to analyse the possible importance of the HIF1A Pro582Ser polymorphism in power-orientated athletes. The study was carried out on power-orientated athletes (short distance runners, short distance swimmers and weightlifters) and sedentary individuals, representing possible relationships between genotype and physical performance. DNA was extracted from buccal cells donated by the subject. Genotyping was carried out by PCR. Significance was assessed by Chi square (χ 2 ) analysis.The results revealed that the frequency of the HIF1A Pro/Ser genotype (34.18 0vs. 18.11 20P = 0.01) and Ser allele (17.09 0vs. 9.05 20P = 0.01) was significantly higher in the power-orientated athletes compared to sedentary controls. The results suggest that the HIF1A gene can be taken into consideration as a genetic marker in power-orientated athletes. However, these conclusions should be supported with more experimental studies on HIF1A polymorphisms in elite athletes.