Association between PGC-1α gene variations and physical performance in non-athletic boys

PGC-1α gene plays an important role in regulating cellular energy metabolism and stimulating the increased cell mitochondrial mass. Understanding the status of this gene polymorphism in non-athletic male adolescents may be helpful in choosing and identifying the sport talented male adolescents. The purpose of the present study was to investigate possible association between PGC-1α gene polymorphisms and physical performance in non-athletic male adolescents of Urmia (Iran).

The research was quasi-experimental in a field manner in which 124 non-athletic male adolescent of Urmia (age mean: 11.14±0.69 years old; weight mean: 41.09±10.97 kg; height: 143.18±7.78 cm and BMI: 19.85±4.16) participated in the saliva tests to determine PGC-1α polymorphism and in the field tests of Andersen, standing broad jump, Aalakov jump, counter-movement jump and 20-m sprint. Gene polymorphisms was performed were determined using the PCR-RFLP method.

Among the three different types of exercise performance (endurance, power, speed), PGC-1α polymorphism only had a significant effect on the endurance performance of the subjects and remarkably, the group with the dominant Gly/Gly genotype had a better endurance performance.

The results of this study indicated that PGC-1α polymorphism of non-athlete adolescents was a determinative factor in their endurance performance, but not a determinative one in their speed and power performance.