mRNA expression patterns of genes associated with intracellular activation of fatty acids to acyl-CoA (ACSL1), glycerol-3-phosphate acylation (GPAM), acylglycerol-phosphate acylation (AGPAT1), diacylglycerol formation (LPIN2), intracellular fatty acid transport (FABP4), acylation of diacylglycerol and formation of TAG (DGAT2), and desaturation (SCD, FADS2) in Angus or A × S steers (n = 6/type) fed a high-starch (HiS, n = 3/type) or low-starch (LoS, n = 3/type) diet. Fold-change expression during the growing phase is expressed relative to day 0. Pooled SEM: ACSL1, 0.2; GPAM, 0.3; AGPAT1, 0.1; LPIN2, 0.1; FABP4, 4.2; DGAT2, 3.8; SCD, 1.8; FADS2, 0.2. Asterisks denote (P < 0.05): *Time effect; **Diet effect; ***Steer type effect; ****Tendency (P = 0.08–0.11) for diet × steer type × day interaction; *****Tendency (P = 0.11–0.13) for steer type effect. ACSL1 and GPAM had (P < 0.05) diet × steer type × day interactions. FABP4 and DGAT2 had (P < 0.05) diet × steer type interactions. Superscripts denote differences (P < 0.05) among treatments at specific time points.