Patent ID: 7790383

Claim:
A method for identifying a bovine animal having a thicker or thinner subcutaneous fat depth (SFD), as compared to the general population of bovine animals, said method comprising: (a) obtaining a biological sample from a bovine, said sample comprising nucleic acids from said bovine including the bovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) gene; (b) detecting in said nucleic acids: (i) a C in both alleles of the CRH gene at a position corresponding to position 285 of SEQ ID NO: 2; or (ii) a T in at least one allele of the CRH gene at a position corresponding to position 285 of SEQ ID NO: 2; and (c) correlating a C in both alleles of the CRH gene at a position corresponding to position 285 of SEQ ID NO: 2 with a thinner SFD phenotype as compared to the general population of bovines, or a T in at least one allele of the CRH gene at a position corresponding to position 285 of SEQ ID NO: 2 with a thicker SFD phenotype as compared to the general population of bovine animals.