Cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector c (CIDEC) protein, also known as fat 
specific protein 27 (Fsp27), is localized to lipid droplets. CIDEC protein is 
required for unilocular lipid droplet formation and optimal energy storage in 
addition to controlling lipid metabolism in adipocytes and hepatocytes. Research 
found that Ad-36 could induce lipid droplets in the cultured skeletal muscle 
cells and this process may be mediated by promoting CIDEC expression. The 
content of intermuscular fat is an important index for evaluation of beef 
quality, so the CIDEC gene appeared to be a candidate gene for regulation of 
intermuscular fat, however similar research for the bovine CIDEC gene is 
lacking. This paper examined the tissue expression profile of CIDEC gene in 
cattle using real-time RT-PCR to suggest that bovine CIDEC is highly expressed 
in adipose tissue. In addition, the Bovine CIDEC gene was cloned and inserted 
into the eukaryotic expression vector pET-28a(+), whereupon recombinant bovine 
CIDEC protein was induced and identified by Western-blot. A phylogenetic 
analysis showed that the animo acid sequence of bovine CIDEC was closer to 
mammalian CIDEC than rasorial CIDEC. We found ten single nucleotide 
polymorphisms sites (SNPs) in bovine CIDEC gene, of which SNP 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9, 
and SNP 8 and 10 were in complete linkage disequilibrium, respectively. SNP 1, 2 
and 10 were used in further haplotype studies. Eight different haplotypes were 
identified in 973 cattle, of which haplotype 8 predominated with frequencies 
ranging from 42.90 to 54.30 %. This research provides a basis for future 
functional studies of CIDEC in cattle.