Biology of Sport
eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X
Biology of Sport
Current Issue Manuscripts accepted About the journal Editorial board Abstracting and indexing Archive Ethical standards and procedures Contact Instructions for authors Journal's Reviewers Special Information
Editorial System
Submit your Manuscript
SCImago Journal & Country Rank
Search
Editorial Policies
Sarajevo Declaration on Integrity and Visibility of Scholarly Publications

Open access

without publication fees
Share:
Send email
Share:
abstract:
Original paper

Gene expression profiling of whole blood samples following marathon running in non-elite athletes

Pol Ezquerra-Condeminas
1, 2, 3
,
Laura Martin-Fernandez
4, 5
,
Antonio Cardenas
1
,
Oriol Sibila
6
,
Nina Borràs
4, 5
,
Francisco Vidal
4, 7
,
Alexandre Perera-Lluna
2, 8
,
José Manuel Soria
1, 3

  1. Unit of Genomics of Complex Disease, Research Institute of Sant Pau Hospital (IIB Sant Pau), Spain
  2. B2SLab, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (IRIS), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, Barcelona, Spain
  3. Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
  4. Congenital Coagulopathies Laboratory, Blood and Tissue Bank, Barcelona, Spain
  5. Transfusional Medicine, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (VHIR-UAB), Barcelona, Spain
  6. Respiratory Department, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, CIBERES, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  7. Centre for Biomedical Network Research of Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV), Instituto Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
  8. Centre for Biomedical Network Research of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, Instituto Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
Biol Sport. 2026;43:779–793
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2026.158303
Online publish date: 2026/01/23
View full text Get citation
 
PlumX metrics:
Endurance exercise exerts profound physiological effects on non-elite athletes, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study investigated transcriptomic changes induced by running a marathon and their progression during recovery. Blood samples were collected from 60 non-elite athletes (42 men, 18 women) at three time points: baseline (START), immediately after the marathon (FINISH), and 24 hours post-race (24REST). Differential gene expression analyses, along with Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment, were performed for three comparisons: C1 (START vs FINISH), C2 (FINISH vs 24REST), and C3 (START vs 24REST). The analysis identified 9,874 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in C1, indicating widespread gene expression changes following the marathon. GO and KEGG analyses highlighted significant enrichments in biological processes such as immune function, oxidative stress response, and lipid metabolism. At 24REST, gene expression had not fully returned to baseline, with 279 DEGs observed in C3. These genes were predominantly associated with mitochondrial function and energy production pathways, suggesting differences in mitochondrial and energy associated gene expression compared with baseline. Clustering analyses identified two clusters of recovered genes and three clusters of differentially expressed genes at 24REST, reflecting distinct temporal expression trajectories. These findings underscore the substantial impact of endurance exercise on gene expression in non-elite athletes, providing a foundation for understanding transcriptomic regulation in non-elite athletes and may inform strategies to optimize recovery. Future research is necessary to explore the long-term physiological and health implications of these transcriptional changes.
keywords:

RNA-seq, Endurance exercise, Transcriptomics, Gene expression profiling, Marathon running, Exercise-induced gene regulation

  
Termedia
About us Contact
Copyright notice Privacy policy Advertising policy Contact us
Quick links
Journals Books eBooks Events
© 2026 Termedia Sp. z o.o.
Developed by Bentus.