Buccal saliva samples were collected via mouth swabs with participants instructed to brush the edge of a soft tip swab along the insides of their cheek and gums for 30 s [52 (link)–54 (link)]. Samples were collected before a pre-season training session and players were asked not to consume coffee, alcohol, or food for two hours prior to saliva collection. Collected samples were labelled with a numeric code for de-identification and were sent to the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF; Brisbane, QLD, Australia; NATA 17025) for DNA extraction and genotyping using Agena Bioscience MassARRAY system (AGRF; Brisbane, QLD, Australia). Genetic variants examined were within the following genes: ACTN3 (rs1815739), CCL2 (rs2857656), COL1A1 (rs1800012), COL5A1 (rs12722), COL12A1 (rs970547), EMILIN1 (rs2289360), IGF2 (rs3213221), NOGGIN (rs1372857), SMAD6 (rs2053423), with all genotypes being within Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE), as previously reported [52 (link)].
Free full text: Click here