Download PDF
Int J Sports Med 2003; 24(7): 492-498
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-42011
Physiology & Biochemistry
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Evidence of Major Genes for Exercise Heart Rate and Blood Pressure at Baseline and in Response to 20 Weeks of Endurance Training: The HERITAGE Family Study

P.  An1 , I.  B.  Borecki1, 2 , T.  Rankinen3 , L.  Pérusse4 , A.  S.  Leon5 , J.  S.  Skinner6 , J.  H.  Wilmore7 , C.  Bouchard3 , D.  C.  Rao1, 2, 8
  • 1Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
  • 2Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
  • 3Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
  • 4Department of Preventive Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Canada
  • 5Division of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
  • 6Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
  • 7Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
  • 8Also Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Further Information

Publication History

Accepted after revision: January 23, 2003

Publication Date:
10 September 2003 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Major gene effects on exercise heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) measured at 50 W and 80 % maximal oxygen uptake (V·O2max) were assessed in 99 White families in the HERITAGE Family Study. Exercise HR and BP were measured both before and after 20 weeks of endurance training. The baseline phenotypes were adjusted for the effects of age and BMI, whereas the training responses (post-training minus baseline) were adjusted for the effects of age, BMI and the corresponding baseline values, within four sex-by-generation groups. Baseline exercise HR at 50 W was under the influence of a major recessive gene and a multifactorial component, which accounted for 30 % and 27 % of the variance, respectively. The training response was found to be under the influence of a major dominant gene, which accounted for 27 % of the variance. These significant major gene effects were independent of the effects of cigarette smoking, baseline V·O2max, and the resting HR levels. No significant interactions were found between genotype and age, sex, or BMI. No major gene effect was found for exercise BP. Instead, we found the baseline exercise BP at 50 W and 80 % V·O2max and the training response at 50 W were solely influenced by multifactorial effects, which accounted for about 50 %, 40 % and 20 % of the variance, respectively. No familial resemblance was found for training responses in exercise HR or BP at 80 % V·O2max. Segregation analysis also was carried out for exercise HR in Whites pooled with a small sample of Blacks in HERITAGE. Similar major effects were found, but the transmission from parents to offspring did not follow Mendelian expectations, suggesting sample heterogeneity. In conclusion, submaximal exercise HR at baseline and in response to endurance training was influenced by putative major genes, with no evidence of interactions with sex, age or BMI, in contrast to a multifactorial etiology for exercise BP.

Key words

Major gene effect - multifactorial effect - 50 W - 80 % V·O2max - Whites - Blacks

References

  • 1 Akaike H. A new look at the statistical model identification.  IEEE Trans Automat Control. 1994;  19 716-723
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 An P, Rice T, Gagnon J, Borecki I B, Pérusse L, Leon A S, Skinner J S, Wilmore J H, Bouchard C, Rao D C. Familial aggregation of resting blood pressure and heart rate in a sedentary population: The HERITAGE Family Study.  Am J Hypertens. 1999;  12 264-270
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 An P, Rice T, Pérusse L, Borecki I B, Gagnon J, Leon A S, Skinner J S, Wilmore J H, Bouchard C, Rao D C. Complex segregation analysis of blood pressure and heart rate measured before and after a 20-week endurance exercise training program: The HERITAGE Family Study.  Am J Hypertens. 2000;  13 488-497
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 An P, Pérusse L, Rankinen T, Borecki I B, Gagnon J, Leon A S, Skinner J S, Wilmore J H, Bouchard C, Rao D C. Familial aggregation of exercise heart rate and blood pressure in response to 20 weeks of endurance training: The HERITAGE Family Study.  Int J Sports Med. 2003;  24 57-62
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Bouchard C, Leon A S, Rao D C, Skinner J S, Wilmore J H, Gagnon J. The HERITAGE Family Study: Aims, design and measurement protocol.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1995;  27 721-729
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Carter C L, Kannel W B. Evidence of a rare gene for low systolic blood pressure in the Framingham Heart Study.  Hum Hered. 1990;  40 235-241
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Cheng L S, Carmelli D, Hunt S C, Williams R R. Segregation analysis of cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors.  Genet Epidemiol. 1997;  14 35-49
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Cheng L S, Livshits G, Carmelli D, Wahrendorf J, Brunner D. Segregation analysis reveals a major gene effect controlling systolic blood pressure and BMI in an Israeli population.  Hum Biol. 1998;  70 59-75
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Gillman M W, Kannel W B, Belanger A, D’Agostino R B. Influence of heart rate on mortality among persons with hypertension: The Framingham Study.  Am Heart J. 1993;  125 1148-1154
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Hasstedt S J. PAP: Pedigree Analysis Package. Revision 4.0. Department of Human Genetics University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; 1994
    Google Scholar
  • 11 Kannel W B, Kannel C, Paffenbarger R S, Cupples L A. Heart rate and cardiovascular mortality: The Framingham Study.  Am Heart J. 1987;  113 1489-1494
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Lalouel J M, Rao D C, Morton N E, Elston R C. A unified model for complex segregation analysis.  Am J Hum Genet. 1983;  35 816-826
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Leon A S, An P, Rice T, Pérusse L, Gagnon J, Wilmore J H, Skinner J S, Rao D C, Bouchard C. Familial aggregation of cardiovascular responses to submaximal exercise in the HERITAGE Family Study.  Hypertension (submitted)
    Google Scholar
  • 14 Matthews C E, Pate R R, Jackson K L, Ward D S, Macera C A, Kohl H W, Blair S N. Exaggerated blood pressure response to dynamic exercise and risk of future hypertension.  J Clin Epidemiol. 1998;  51 29-35
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Mitchell B D, Kammerer C M, Blangero J, Mahaney M C, Rainwater D L, Dyke B, Hixson J E, Henkel R D, Sharp R M, Comuzzie A G, VandeBerg J L, Stern M P, MacCluer J W. Genetic and environmental contributions to cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican Americans: The San Antonio Family Heart Study.  Circulation. 1996;  94 2159-2170
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Pérusse L, Moll P P, Sing C F. Evidence that a single gene with gender- and age-dependent effects influences systolic blood pressure determination in a population-based sample.  Am J Human Genet. 1991;  49 94-105
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Rice T, Bouchard C, Borecki I B, Rao D C. Commingling and segregation analysis of blood pressure in a French-Canadian population.  Am J Hum Genet. 1990;  46 37-44
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Rice T, An P, Gagnon J, Leon A S, Skinner J S, Wilmore J H, Bouchard C, Rao D C. Heritability of heart rate and blood pressure response to exercise training in the HERITAGE Family Study.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;  34 972-979
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Skinner J S, Wilmore K M, Krasnoff J B, Jaskolski A, Jaskolska A, Gagnon J, Province M A, Leon A S, Rao D C, Wilmore J H, Bouchard C. Adaptation to a standardized training program and changes in fitness in a large, heterogeneous population: The HERITAGE Family Study.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000;  32 157-161
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Wilmore J H, Stanforth P R, Turley K R, Gagnon J, Daw E W, Leon A S, Rao D C, Skinner J S, Bouchard C. Reproducibility of cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic responses to submaximal exercise: The HERITAGE Family Study.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998;  30 259-265
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Wilmore J H, Stanforth P R, Gagnon J, Rice T, Mandel S, Leon A S, Rao D C, Skinner J S, Bouchard C. Heart rate and blood pressure changes with endurance training: The HERITAGE Family Study.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;  33 107-116
    PubMedGoogle Scholar

P. An, MD

Division of Biostatistics

Campus Box 8067 · Washington University School of Medicine · 660 South Euclid Avenue · St. Louis · Missouri 63110 · USA ·

Phone: +1 314 362-3614

Fax: +1 314 362-2693

Email: anping@wubios.wustl.edu

      >