Allelic polymorphism of the caprine calpastatin (CAST) gene identified by PCR–SSCP

Calpastatin (CAST) specifically inhibits calpains and there is evidence that it plays a role in meat tenderization and myogenesis. Although the CAST gene has been extensively investigated in sheep and cattle, no studies have been reported in goats. In this study, a fragment of caprine CAST was analyzed using PCR–SSCP analysis. Seven novel SSCP patterns, representing seven different nucleotide sequences, were identified. All the sequences shared high homology with the published ovine and bovine CAST sequences. Sequence analysis revealed non-synonymous amino acid variation in exon 6, which would result in a Ser/Arg substitution in domain L of the protein. Considerable variation was detected in an intron region close to the acceptor splice site, with both sequence variation and length variation being observed in this region. Variation detected here might have an impact on both the function and expression of caprine CAST.