Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 27 No. 1 (2026)

Identification of FREM2 SNPs in Bali cattle for improving meat quality

EVA AMALIA PERTIWI (Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Mataram. Jl. Majapahit No. 62, Mataram 83115, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia)
MASKUR MASKUR (Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Mataram. Jl. Majapahit No. 62, Mataram 83115, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia)
TAPAUL ROZI (Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Mataram. Jl. Majapahit No. 62, Mataram 83115, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia)
MUHAMMAD MUHSININ (Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Mataram. Jl. Majapahit No. 62, Mataram 83115, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia)
MOKHAMAD FAKHRUL ULUM (School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Institut Pertanian Bogor. Jl. Agatis, Campus IPB Dramaga, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia)
FADHIL MUHARRAM (Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Mulawarman. Jl. Pasir Balengkong, Samarinda 75123, East Kalimantan, Indonesia)
JAKARIA JAKARIA (Department of Animal Production and Technology, Faculty of Animal Science, Institut Pertanian Bogor. Jl. Agatis, Campus IPB Dramaga, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
02 Mar 2026

Abstract

Abstract. Pertiwi EA, Maskur, Rozi T, Muhsinin M, Ulum MF, Muharram F, Jakaria. 2026. Identification of FREM2 SNPs in Bali cattle for improving meat quality. Biodiversitas 27 (1): d270127. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270127. Bali cattle (Bos javanicus) are indigenous to Indonesia and valued for beef quality traits influenced by genetic variation. The FREM2 gene is recognized as one of the genetic factors that regulate marbling scores in beef cattle. This gene has been extensively studied in various livestock breeds, but has rarely been explored in local livestock breeds in Indonesia. This study aims to identify SNPs in Bali cattle as a first step in determining genetic markers to help improve meat quality, especially in Bali cattle. Blood samples were collected from 20 unrelated Bali cattle. Genomic DNA was extracted via the phenol-chloroform method. A 662 bp fragment encompassing exon 6 and intron 7 of the FREM2 gene was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequenced bidirectionally using Sanger technology. Sequence alignment and SNP detection were performed in MEGA X, with chromatogram inspection in FinchTV to confirm base calls. Population genetic parameters, including allele frequencies, observed and expected heterozygosity, and Polymorphic Information Content (PIC), were calculated using PopGen 3.2. Two novel SNPs were identified: g.89573C>T in exon 6, resulting in a non-synonymous Pro→Leu substitution, and g.89633G>A in intron 7. The g.89573C>T SNP deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (χ² = 4.62, p = 0.032), with observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.50) exceeding expected heterozygosity (He = 0.455) and a PIC of 0.343. The intronic g.89633G>A variant conformed to equilibrium (p = 0.345) with a PIC of 0.269. These FREM2 markers enable marker-assisted selection to improve meat quality in Bali cattle while supporting breed conservation through genomic selection.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

biodiv

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology

Description

The Biodiversitas Journal was first published in 2000 by the Department of Biology, FMNS, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia, then in 2006 it was co-published by the Society for Indonesian Biodiversity and that department; since 2017 it was also hosted by Smujo. From 2003-2012 it was ...