Association analysis of CAPN1 gene variants with carcass and meat quality traits in Chinese native cattle

Abstract

The CAPN1 gene plays an important role in post mortem tenderization of meat and it is a main candidate gene for assessing the meat quality characteristics of beef. In this study, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) A3717G and A3854G of bovine CAPN1 gene were predicted and identified by bioinformatics and DNA sequencing methods. Furthermore, the association between the genetic polymorphisms of SNPs and meat quality characteristics of beef was analyzed. Statistical analysis revealed that these two SNPs were completely linked, and they were significantly associated with Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) (P<0.05), but had no significant association with the other six traits in the whole populations. These results suggested that both markers may be effective for the marker-assisted selection of meat quality traits in Chinese native cattle, and also added new evidence that CAPN1 gene was an important candidate gene for the selection of carcass and meat quality traits in the cattle industry.

Key words: Bovine, CAPN1 gene, Carcass and meat quality traits, SNPs