Ghazal Haddadi, Brian Lam, Sokaina Akhtar, Loren Yavelberg, Veronica Jamnik, Emilie Roudier
PURPOSE: Maximal oxygen consumption (VOmax), the predominant index of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), is a predictor of whole-body function and longevity in humans. The central cardiac function and the skeletal muscle's capacity to use oxygen are key determinants of VOmax. Murine Double Minute 2 (MDM2), mainly known as an oncogene, could regulate myocardial hypertrophy, skeletal muscle angiogenesis, and oxidative phosphorylation. A prevalent single nucleotide polymorphism in the MDM2 promoter (SNP309) substitutes a T for a G, supporting a greater transcriptional activity. We aim to assess whether SNP309 impacts intrinsic CRF.
METHODS: 82 young healthy nonathletic male and female adults aged 23��������2 years performed cardiorespiratory exercise testing to determine their VOmax (mL kg min). The genomic DNAs isolated from saliva were genotyped using Taqman-based qPCR.
RESULTS: A one-way ANOVA showed that SNP309 influenced relative VOmax in the whole cohort (p���=���0.044) and in men (p���=���0.009), remaining non-significant in women (p���=���0.133). VOmax was higher in TT homozygotes than in GT heterozygotes (whole cohort, 47��������12 vs. 42��������6 mL kg min, p���=���0.030; men, 53��������8 vs. 45��������6 mL kg min, p���=���0.011). A contingency analysis revealed a positive association between SNP309 in men in which the TT genotype was more frequent in the high VOmax group (p���=���0.006). When considering G as the dominant allele, men bearing a G allele had lower relative VOmax than TT homozygotes (47��������7 vs. 53��������8, GG/GT vs. TT, p���=���0.010). Conversely, women bearing a G allele had a higher relative VOmax than TT homozygotes (39��������5 vs. 34��������7, GG/GT vs. TT, p���=���0.047).
CONCLUSION: SNP309 impacts VOmax in a sex-dependent manner in our cohort.