Identification of a novel SNP associated with meat quality in C/EBPα gene of Korean cattle

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein a (C/EBP alpha) plays an important role in lipid deposition and adipocyte differentiation. In order to find genetic markers to improve the meat quality of Korean cattle, the bovine C/EBP alpha gene was chosen as a candidate gene to investigate its association with carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was identified at position 271 (A/C substitution) of coding region in the C/EBP alpha gene. A PCR-RFLP procedure with restriction enzyme SmaI was developed for determining the marker genotypes. The frequencies of alleles C and A and were 0.374 and 0.626, respectively. The genotype frequencies for CC, AC and AA were 12.9, 49.0 and 38.1%, respectively, in Korean cattle population. The frequencies of genotype were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Association analysis indicated that the gene-specific SNP marker of C/EBP alpha showed a significant association with marbling score (p < 0.05). The animals with AA genotype had higher marbling score than those with the AC or CC genotype. Although further studies are needed to validate our results, the CiEBP alpha gene could be useful as a genetic marker for carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle.