Association Analysis between SNP Marker in Neuopeptide Y (NPY) Gene and Carcass and Meat Quality Traits in Korean Cattle

Biological or physiological genes that regulate metabolism and energy partitioning have the potential to influence economically important traits such as carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle. The neuropeptide Y (NPY) functions as a central appetite stimulator and plays a major role in feed intake and energy-balance control. Therefore, the NPY gene is an excellent biological and physiological candidate gene for body weight, feeding, fatness or growth related traits in beef cattle. The objective of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NPY gene and to evaluate the association of NPY SNP markers with carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. The genomic region (711 bp) including intron 2 of NPY gene was amplified and sequenced, and five SNPs, g.4389 Del(C), g.4371Del(C), g.4271T>C, g.1899A>G and g.1517A>C, were identified. The PCR-RFLP method was then developed to genotype the individuals examined. The g.4271T>C SNP was significantly associated with M. Longissimus dori area (LDA) value (p