Associations of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase gene single nucleotide polymorphisms with sport performance and relative maximal oxygen uptake

To observe the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) gene and sport performance and to analyse genotype associations of the associated SNPs with sport performance and relative maximal oxygen uptake ((V)over dotO(2) (max)). Participants were selected from 685 Chinese Han male college students. The completion times of a 1000-m run and a 50-m run were used to reflect sport performance, respectively. Nineteen tagSNPs were genotyped with Polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction. Relative (V)over dotO(2) (max) was directly determined with a cardiopulmonary function analyser. A significant association was found between rs2256292 and 1000-m run performance, but no significant association was found between any tagSNPs and 50-m run performance. The genotype associations of rs2256292 with 1000-m run performance and with relative (V)over dotO(2) (max) were both significant under the recessive model (CC vs. CG + GG). No tagSNP in NNMT is significantly associated with 50-m run performance but rs2256292 is significantly associated with 1000-m run performance. The genotype associations of rs2256292 with sport performance are significant under recessive model, and a higher relative (V)over dotO(2) (max) may be the physiological reason for minor homozygote CC carriers being of the better 1000-m runners.