- Role
- Finalist
- Region
- Saskatoon
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Le Hieu Thong Quach
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Project
Project EMGenetics: Investigating the Relationship Between ACTN3 Genotype and Muscle Fatigue
Project #3301
Encoding the α-actinin-3 protein, the ACTN3 gene influences muscle power and endurance. This study investigated the impact of ACTN3 genotypes on fatigue resistance and susceptibility during a workplace-like 30-minute repetitive lifting task. Muscle fatigue was assessed in 20 individuals using surface electromyography and mean power frequency. Saliva, ARMS-PCR, and gel electrophoresis were utilized for genotyping. RX individuals fatigued their lower body muscles first and resisted muscle fatigue in twice as many muscle groups (4) as XX individuals (2), who fatigued their upper body muscles first, challenging the traditional endurance-power dichotomy present in studies on athletes. XX individuals were found to have a major genetic predisposition compared to RX individuals to fatigue faster in more investigated muscles. With 30% of compensated workplace injuries in Canada related to musculoskeletal health, understanding muscle fatigue mechanisms, including the ACTN3 gene, could inform personalized training, recovery programs, and ethical workplace policies to reduce fatigue risk.
- Challenge
- Curiosity and Ingenuity
- Category
- Senior
- Type
- Discovery