Variations of Collagen-Encoding Genes are Associated with Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within genes encoding the alpha-1 chain of type I (COL1A1, rs2249492; rs1800012), type II (COL2A1, rs2070739) and type V (COL5A1, rs12722) collagen were associated with the variable response to exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Knee extensor muscle strength and soreness were assessed pre-, post-, and 48h post-EIMD (120 maximal eccentric knee extensor contractions) in 65 young healthy participants, who were genotyped for the aforementioned SNPs. We found that COL1A1 (minor) T-allele carriers (rs1800012) and (major) T-allele homozygotes (rs2249492) were generally weaker (p≤0.019); and (minor) A-allele carriers of COL2A1 (p=0.002) and (major) T-allele carriers COL5A1 (p=0.004) SNPs reported greater muscle soreness, all compared to their respective major (rs1800012; rs2070739) and minor (rs2249492; rs12722) allele homozygote counterparts. To conclude, the risk alleles of these four SNPs appear to negatively influence muscle strength and post-EIMD recovery, possibly via a dysregulated collagen network affecting the muscle’s mechanical properties