Application of Omics Technologies in the System of Sports Training

Deciphering the human genome, and further development of omics technologies, have opened new opportunities in studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the sport success. According to modern concepts of functional genomics, it is believed that individual differences in the degree of development of physical and mental qualities, as well as in the susceptibility to different diseases of athletes are largely due to DNA polymorphisms. Genetic markers associated with the development and manifestation of physical qualities (speed, strength, endurance, agility, flexibility) can be used in the sports selection system, to clarify sports specialization and to optimize the training process. Other molecular markers (methyl groups, trans­cripts, telomerase activity, telomeres, circulating DNA, metabolites, proteins, etc.) in addition to predicting athletic performance, allow assessing the current functional state of the athlete, including the phenomenon of overtraining. The purpose of this review is to provide data on the use of genomic, epigenetic, trans­criptomic, proteomic and metabolic methods in sports talent identification, assessing the current functional status of athletes and in the pres­cription of personal training and nutrition programs. Future research, including multicentre genome-wide association studies and whole-genome sequencing in large cohorts of athletes with further validation and replication, will substantially contribute to the discovery of large numbers of the causal genetic variants (mutations and DNA polymorphisms) that would partly explain the heritability of athlete status and related phenotypes

Diversity and adaptations of escherichia coli strains: Exploring the intestinal community in crohn’s disease patients and healthy individuals

Crohn’s disease (CD) is characterized by a chronic, progressive inflammation across the gastrointestinal tract with a series of exacerbations and remissions. A significant factor in the CD pathogenesis is an imbalance in gut microbiota composition, particularly the prevalence of Escherichia coli. In the present study, the genomes of sixty-three E. coli strains from the gut of patients with CD and healthy subjects were sequenced. In addition, eighteen E. coli-like metagenomeassembled genomes (MAGs) were reconstructed from the shotgun-metagenome sequencing data of fecal samples. The comparative analysis revealed the similarity of E. coli genomes regardless of the origin of the strain. The strains exhibited similar genetic patterns of virulence, antibiotic resistance, and bacteriocin-producing systems. The study showed antagonistic activity of E. coli strains and the metabolic features needed for their successful competition in the human gut environment. These observations suggest complex bacterial interactions within the gut which may affect the host and cause intestinal damage

Whole genome sequencing of elite athletes

© 2020 Institute of Sport. All rights reserved. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has great potential to explore all possible DNA variants associated with physical performance, psychological traits and health conditions of athletes. Here we present, for the first time, annotation of genomic variants of elite athletes, based on the WGS of 20 Tatar male wrestlers. The maximum number of high-quality variants per sample was over 3.8 M for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and about 0.64 M for indels. The maximum number of nonsense mutations was 148 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) per individual. Athletes' genomes on average contained 18.9 nonsense SNPs in a homozygous state per sample, while non-Athletes' exomes (Tatar controls, n = 19) contained 18 nonsense SNPs. Finally, we applied genomic data for the association analysis and used reaction time (RT) as an example. Out of 1884 known genome-wide significant SNPs related to RT, we identified four SNPs (KIF27 rs10125715, APC rs518013, TMEM229A rs7783359, LRRN3 rs80054135) associated with RT in wrestlers. The cumulative number of favourable alleles (KIF27 A, APC A, TMEM229A T, LRRN3 T) was significantly correlated with RT both in wrestlers (P = 0.0003) and an independent cohort (n = 43) of physically active subjects (P = 0.029). Furthermore, we found that the frequencies of the APC A (53.3 vs 44.0%, P = 0.033) and LRRN3 T (7.5 vs 2.8%, P = 0.009) alleles were significantly higher in elite athletes (n = 107) involved in sports with RT as an essential component of performance (combat sports, table tennis and volleyball) compared to less successful (n = 176) athletes. The LRRN3 T allele was also over-represented in elite athletes (7.5%) in comparison with 189 controls (2.9%, P = 0.009). In conclusion, we present the first WGS study of athletes showing that WGS can be applied in sport and exercise science

The Effect of Helicobacter pylori Eradication on Human Microbiota: Metagenome Analysis of the Human Gut Microbiome

A total of 152 stool samples from 76 patients with symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases have been analyzed using metagenomic shotgun sequencing technology to assess the effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy on Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Escherichia, and Clostridium genera. The relative abundance of bacteria representing these genera in the intestinal microflora of patients before and after antibiotic therapy has been evaluated. It has been shown that the therapy did not have any critical effect in the majority of cases on the number of Lactobacillus, Escherichia and Clostridium genera in the microbial community. Their abundance varied within 0.5% in 76.5%, 51.3%, and 55.2% of patients, respectively. The Bifidobacterium genus has been found to be more susceptible to antibiotics (their number decreased significantly in 60.5% of cases). However, 9.2% of patients have shown the opposite effect. Thus, the obtained data demonstrate that Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy does not have uniform effects on the key members of human intestinal microbiota. This fact should be taken into account when predicting the risks of side effects of antibiotics

The association of HFE gene H63D polymorphism with endurance athlete status and aerobic capacity: novel findings and a meta-analysis

© 2020, The Author(s). Purpose: Iron is an important component of the oxygen-binding proteins and may be critical to optimal athletic performance. Previous studies have suggested that the G allele of C/G rare variant (rs1799945), which causes H63D amino acid replacement, in the HFE is associated with elevated iron indexes and may give some advantage in endurance-oriented sports. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the HFE H63D polymorphism and elite endurance athlete status in Japanese and Russian populations, aerobic capacity and to perform a meta-analysis using current findings and three previous studies. Methods: The study involved 315 international-level endurance athletes (255 Russian and 60 Japanese) and 809 healthy controls (405 Russian and 404 Japanese). Genotyping was performed using micro-array analysis or by PCR. VO2max in 46 male Russian endurance athletes was determined using gas analysis system. Results: The frequency of the iron-increasing CG/GG genotypes was significantly higher in Russian (38.0 vs 24.9%; OR 1.85, P = 0.0003) and Japanese (13.3 vs 5.0%; OR 2.95, P = 0.011) endurance athletes compared to ethnically matched controls. The meta-analysis using five cohorts (two French, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian; 586 athletes and 1416 controls) showed significant prevalence of the CG/GG genotypes in endurance athletes compared to controls (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.58–2.45; P = 1.7 × 10–9). Furthermore, the HFE G allele was associated with high V̇O2max in male athletes [CC: 61.8 (6.1), CG/GG: 66.3 (7.8) ml/min/kg; P = 0.036]. Conclusions: We have shown that the HFE H63D polymorphism is strongly associated with elite endurance athlete status, regardless ethnicities and aerobic capacity in Russian athletes

Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Associated Changes in the Gut: Focus on Kazan Patients

Background: Several studies have highlighted the role of host-microbiome interactions in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), resulting in an increasing amount of data mainly focusing on Western patients. Because of the increasing prevalence of IBD in newly industrialized countries such as those in Asia, the Middle East, and South America, there is mounting interest in elucidating the gut microbiota of these populations. We present a comprehensive analysis of several IBD-related biomarkers and gut microbiota profiles and functions of a unique population of patients with IBD and healthy patients from Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan, Russia). Methods: Blood and fecal IBD biomarkers, serum cytokines, and fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content were profiled. Finally, fecal microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S and whole-genome shotgun sequencing. Results: Fecal microbiota whole-genome sequencing confirmed the presence of classic IBD dysbiotic features at the phylum level, with increased abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Fusobacteria and decreased abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia. At the genus level, the abundance of both fermentative (SCFA-producing and hydrogen (H2)-releasing) and hydrogenotrophic (H2-consuming) microbes was affected in patients with IBD. This imbalance was confirmed by the decreased abundance of SCFA species in the feces of patients with IBD and the change in anaerobic index, which mirrors the redox status of the intestine. Conclusions: Our analyses highlighted how IBD-related dysbiotic microbiota - which are generally mainly linked to SCFA imbalance - may affect other important metabolic pathways, such as H2 metabolism, that are critical for host physiology and disease development