-Binayak Das, Team bioXone
The formation of a cleft-palate or cleft-lip in an individual is due to the combined contributions of both genetic and environmental factors.
Years of research have now revealed that differential expressions caused due to epigenetic factors like DNA methylation and histone modifications can help us determine the exact genes responsible for each of the orofacial cleft (OFC) subtypes. It has also been found that the etiology of the cleft lip only (CLO) is the most unique amongst all the subtypes, and that genetic variation or errored expression of healthy miRNA genes and their targets, significantly influence the formation of OFCs. Manipulating relevant non-coding RNAs and recreating epigenetic changes in animal models, such as in mice and rats, have led to a deeper understanding of the various networks and pathways involved in the formation of OFC subtypes.
Although much is still to be learnt, scientists have found that retinoids and folates, amongst other environmental factors, have significantly contributed to a better understanding of the exact effects of epigenetic factors in OFCs.
With these findings as the first-step in understanding the underlying causes of OFCs, further scientific and biomedical studies are deemed necessary in order to understand all aspects of its etiology, so that research strategies and preventive care can improve in the near future.
Source:
Michael A. Garland, Bo Sun, Shuwen Zhang, Kurt Reynolds, Yu Ji, Chengji J. Zhou. 2020. Role of epigenetics and miRNAs in orofacial clefts. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdr2.1802
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