Association of CAST gene polymorphisms with carcass and meat quality traits in Yanbian cattle of China

Bovine calpastatin (CAST) gene polymorphisms have been associated with meat tenderness traits; however, little is known about how the CAST gene affects beef quality traits. In this study, 25 single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected in the CAST gene using polymerase chain reaction with single-strand conformation polymorphism and gene sequencing. Different preponderant genotypes were found at the corresponding gene locus. The E1-1, E1-2, and C3-1 loci were correlated with meat tenderness height and highly correlated with the fatty acid content and the amino acid content. The E4-2 locus was not correlated with meat tenderness, but it was correlated with cooking loss, brightness, and yellowness, among others. The CAST gene is a potential marker for these meat quality traits, but further research is required.