Bovine μ-calpain (CAPN1) gene polymorphisms in Brangus and Brahman bulls

the bovine capn1 gene encodes the large subunit of μ-calpain, which is thought to be one of the most important enzymes involved in postmortem beef tenderization. three snps in capn1 (snp 316, snp 530 and snp 4751) have been associated with beef tenderness in different beef cattle breeds. the objective of this work was to implement genotyping strategies for capn1 markers as part of a project pursuing the identifi cation and validation of molecular markers associated with bovine meat quality and composition. three pcr-rflp methods were designed to determine genotypes of 64 bulls (11 angus, 43 brangus and 10 brahman). unexpected patterns resulting from the pcr-rflp analysis at snp 316 and snp 530 were resolved by cloning and sequencing and lead to the discovery of three substitutions not previously described. these mutations could be useful in population studies, such as the determination of the relative contribution of the angus and brahman breeds to the brangus.