The achievement of athletic performance in sports is influenced by a combination of various genetic and environmental factors. Multiple genetic epidemiological studies have analyzed single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) markers of candidate genes that affect athletic performance. One such marker is the A1470T polymorphism(rs1049434) in the monocarboxylate transporter isoform 1(MCT1) gene, which has been reported to contribute to inter-individual differences in athletic performance. However, few studies have been conducted on the Korean population. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the frequency distribution of the A1470T polymorphism in MCT1 gene among Korean track-field athletes(endurance athletes and power/sprint athletes, including throwing athletes) and healthy controls. A total of 300 Korean participants were enrolled in this study. They were categorized into two groups: controls(n = 123) and track-field athletes(n = 177), which included throwing athletes(n = 80) and distance runners(n = 97). Also, this genetic polymorphism was determined through genotyping using the SNaPshot method.
The study result showed the statistically significant difference in allele frequency of the SNP marker among controls, power/sprint athletes, and endurance athletes, respectively( p < .05). Additionally, The A allele frequency of A1470T polymorphism in MCT1 gene was significantly higher in power/sprint athletes compared to controls and endurance athletes. Theis finding suggest that the A1470T polymorphism in MCT gene may be an useful marker for power/sprint ability at least in Koreans. Further studies using larger sample size and other ethnic groups are needed to replicate this study result.