Major gene effects on exercise ventilatory threshold: the HERITAGE Family Study

• Published in: Journal of applied physiology (1985) Vol. 93; no. 3; pp. 1000 - 1006
• Main Authors: Feitosa, Mary F, Gaskill, Steven E, Rice, Treva, Rankinen, Tuomo, Bouchard, Claude, Rao, D. C, Wilmore, Jack H, Skinner, James S, Leon, Arthur S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Am Physiological Soc 01-09-2002; American Physiological Society
• Subjects: African Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; Aging - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Circulatory system; Differential Threshold - physiology; European Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Genes - physiology; Genotype; Humans; Male; Models, Genetic; Oxygen; Oxygen Consumption - physiology; Phenotype; Physical Education and Training; Race; Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; Respiratory system; Sex Characteristics; Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports; Human; Maximum oxygen consumption; Physical training; Family study; Genotype; Genetic determinism; Segregation analysis; Ventilatory response; Gene; Endurance; Pulmonary ventilation; Respiration; Threshold
• ISSN: 8750-7587; 1522-1601
• DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00254.2002

1  Division of Biostatistics, and
4  Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, Washington
University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110;
2  Department of Health and Human Performance, Human
Performance Laboratory, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812;
3  Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808; 5  Department
of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
77843; 6  Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University,
Bloomington, Indiana 46405; 7  School of Kinesiology and
Leisure Studies, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
This study investigates whether
there are major gene effects on oxygen uptake at the ventilatory
threshold ( O 2VT ) and the
O 2VT maximal oxygen uptake
(VT% O 2 max ), at baseline and in
response to 20 wk of exercise training by using data on 336 whites and
160 blacks. Segregation analysis was performed on the residuals of
O 2VT and
VT% O 2 max . In whites, there was strong
evidence of a major gene, with 3 and 2% of the sample in the upper
distribution, that accounted for 52 and 43% of the variance in
baseline O 2VT and
VT% O 2 max , respectively. There were no
genotype-specific covariate effects (sex, age, weight, fat mass, and
fat-free mass). The segregation results were inconclusive for the
training response in whites, and for the baseline and training response
in blacks, probably due to insufficient power because of reduced sample
sizes or smaller gene effect or both. The strength of the genetic
evidence for O 2VT and
VT% O 2 max suggests that these traits
should be further investigated for potential relations with specific
candidate genes, if they can be identified, and explored through a
genome-wide scan.
segregation analysis; heritability; familial aggregation; oxygen
uptake at ventilatory threshold; maximal oxygen uptake