Nonlinear gene expression-phenotype relationships contribute to variation and clefting in the A/WySn mouse.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cleft lip and palate is one of the most common human birth defects, but the underlying etiology is poorly understood. The A/WySn mouse is a spontaneously occurring model of multigenic clefting in which 20% to 30% of individuals develop an orofacial cleft. Recent work has shown altered methylation at a specific retrotransposon insertion downstream of the Wnt9b locus in clefting animals, which results in decreased Wnt9b expression.

Results

Using a newly developed protocol that allows us to measure morphology, gene expression, and DNA methylation in the same embryo, we relate gene expression in an individual embryo directly to its three-dimensional morphology for the first time. We find that methylation at the retrotransposon relates to Wnt9b expression and morpholog

SUBMITTER: Green RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8210921 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature