Identification of genetic polymorphisms in FABP3 and FABN and putative association with back fat thickness in Korean native cattle

The aim of this study was to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the beef cattle adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein 3 and 4 (FABP3 and FABP4) genes are associated with carcass weight (CM and back fat thickness (BF) of beef cattle. By direct DNA sequencing in 24 unrelated Korean native cattle, we identified 20 SNPs in FABP3 and FABP4. Among them, 10 polymorphic sites were selected for genotyping in our beef cattle. We performed SNP, haplotype and linkage disequilibrium studies on 419 Korean native cattle with the 10 SNPs in the FABP genes. Statistical analysis revealed that 220A > G (174V) and 348+303T > C polymorphisms in FABP4 showed putative associations with BF traits (P = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). Our findings suggest that the polymorphisms in FABP4 may play a role in determining one of the important genetic factors that influence BF in beef cattle.