- Title
- Key viral immune genes and pathways identify elite athletes with URS
- Creator
- Colbey, Candice; Drew, Michael; Cox, Amanda; Vider, Jelena; Pyne, David; Vlahonich, Nicole; Hughes, David; Waddington, Gordon; Appaneal, Renee; Burke, Louise; Lundy, Bronwen; Toomey, Mary; Watts, David; Lovell, Gregory; Praet, Stephan; Halson, Shona; Welvaert, Marijke; Zhang, Ping; Cripps, Aallan; West, Nicholas
- Date
- 2020
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/171794
- Identifier
- vital:14376
- Identifier
- ISBN:1077-5552 (ISSN)
- Abstract
- PURPOSE: Habitual intense exercise may increase the incidence of upper respiratory symptoms (URS) in elite athletes. This study investigated whether immune gene expression could identify gene markers that discriminate athletes with a higher prevalence of URS. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis of elite Australian athletes from various sports investigated whether athletes retrospectively reporting URS for two days or more in a month (n=38), had an altered immune gene expression profile compared with asymptomatic athletes (n=33). Peripheral blood samples were collected during Olympic selection events with corresponding URS data collected for the one-month period before sampling. Digital immune gene expression analysis was undertaken using the NanoString PanCancer Immune Profiling panel. RESULTS: Fifty immune genes were differentially expressed between the groups (p<0.05) and approximately 78% of these genes were more highly expressed in athletes reporting URS. Many of these genes were interferon-stimulated genes or genes involved in the Jak/Stat signalling pathway. Only interferon alpha inducible protein 27 (IFI27), an interferon stimulated gene involved in viral response, remained significantly higher in athletes reporting URS (log2 fold-difference=2.49, odds ratio 1.02 per unit increase; p<0.01) post-adjustment and discriminated athletes reporting URS from asymptomatic athletes with 78% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of IFI27 could differentiate athletes reporting URS from asymptomatic athletes, a gene that is upregulated in the immune response to viral infection. Upregulation of viral signalling pathways provides novel information on the potential aetiology of URS in elite Olympic athletes. Copyright © 2020 International Society of Exercise and Immunology. All rights reserved.
- Publisher
- Human Kinetics Publishers Inc.
- Relation
- Exercise immunology review Vol. 26, no. (2020), p. 56-78
- Rights
- Copyright © 2020 International Society of Exercise and Immunology
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 1106 Human Movement and Sports Science; Digital immune gene expression; Elite athletes; NanoString; Respiratory illness
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