The AGTR2 rs11091046 polymorphism is associated with elite Japanese and Jamaican sprint/power athlete

BACKGROUND: The angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AGTR2) is a component of the renin-angiotensin system that mediates the effects of angiotensin II on cellular differentiation and growth, and plays several metabolic roles, i.e. muscular insulin regulation, cardiovascular and renal systems signalization. In the AGTR2 gene, the rs11091046 (A>C) polymorphism has been shown to be associated with muscle fibre type composition, athlete status and athletic performance in Caucasian population: the A allele being associated with a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibres and power-oriented athlete status. PURPOSE:To study whether the A allele of the AGTR2 rs11091046 (A>C) polymorphism is associated with sprint/power athletic performance in Japanese and Jamaican track and field athletes. METHODS:The AGTR2 rs11091046 polymorphism has been genotyped by TaqMan Genotyping Assay in 214 Japanese sprint/power athletes (42 international level, 172 national level, 56 women) and 815 Japanese healthy control subjects (601 women); and in 113 Jamaican sprint/power athletes (103 international level, 10 national level, 55 women) and 303 Jamaican healthy control subjects (152 women). All athletes answered a questionnaire about their competition results in order to assess athlete status. RESULTS:In the Japanese cohort, the C allele frequency was significantly higher in sprint/power athletes (68.0%) than in control subjects (56.5%) (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.40; P = 0.03), in men. In the Jamaican cohort, the C allele frequency in men sprint/power athletes (43.1%) tended to be higher than in control subjects (34.4%), without significance (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 0.87 - 1.81; P = 0.25). There were no significant differences in women for both Japanese and Jamaican populations. As shown by the low heterogeneity index (I2=0%), meta-analysis indicated that the frequency of the C allele was significantly higher in pooled (Japanese and Jamaican) men elite sprint/power athletes than in control subjects (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04 - 1.40; P = 0.01). CONCLUSION:In contrast to the result obtained in Caucasian population, the C allele of the AGTR2 rs11091046 polymorphism is associated with sprint/power athlete status in Japanese and Jamaican men. Further replicate and functional studies are necessary to confirm these findings.