Growth rate in beef cattle affects adipose gene expression and skeletal muscle fiber type

Growth rate in beef cattle affects fat deposition and skeletal muscle fiber characteristics (Yambayamba and Price, 1991), but individual fat depots appear to be regulated by different mechanisms (Ortiz-Colon et al., 2009). Calkins et al. (1981) found that skeletal muscle fiber type composition explained 65% of the variation in marbling score with more oxidative fiber types having a positive correlation with marbling score. Thus, management strategies could be used to influence skeletal muscle characteristics which could enhance intramuscular fat deposition in the finishing phase. The purpose of this study was to evaluate growth rate during the stocker phase on adipose tissue development and skeletal muscle characteristics of growing-finishing beef cattle.