Identification of a Novel SNP Associated with Meat Quality in C/EBP Gene of Korean Cattle

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ${\alpha}$($C/EBP{\alpha}$) 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 $C/EBP{\alpha}$ gene could be useful as a genetic marker for carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle.