Project description:Genome-wide DNA methylation profilinf from 67 non syndromic cleft lip and palate samples and controls using whole-blood DNA and Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 450K Bead array, in which over 485000 CpGs sites were analysed per sample
Project description:The etiology and pathogenesis of non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCL/P) are largely unknown. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are thought to play important roles in NSCL/P, but reports on the underlying processes are currently unavailable. Our study focused on children diagnosed with NSCL/P alone. Based on the morphology, patients were categorized as either cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) or cleft palate-only (CPO). When patients received surgery for NSCL/P, tissue excised from the trimmed wound edge was reserved to serve as experimental samples; adjacent normal tissue was used as a positive control. Target lncRNAs in the collected tissues were identified using microarray and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and RT-qPCR were used to verify the target mRNAs. Pathway, gene ontology (GO) enrichment, and TargetScan prediction were employed to construct endogenous RNA networks (ceRNA networks) and explore their potential functions. RNA-Seq analysis revealed 24 upregulated and 43 downregulated lncRNAs in the CL/P and CPO groups compared with those in the control group; of these, MALAT1and NEAT1 were screened and validated using RT-qPCR. Common NSCL/P risk factors positively correlated with MALAT1 and NEAT1 expression (ORMALAT1 = 28.111, 95% CI: 4.054-194.923; ORNEAT1 = 30.556, 95% CI: 4.422-211.142; P < 0.05). Bioinformatics predicted four ceRNA networks: MALAT1-hsa-miR-1224-3p-SP1, MALAT1-hsa-miR-6734-5p/hsa-miR-1224-3p-WNT10A, NEAT1-hsa-miR-140-3p.1-CXCR4, and NEAT1-hsa-miR-3129-5p/hsa-miR-199a-3p/hsa-miR-199b-3p-ZEB1. GO enrichment focused on the potential functions of ceRNA networks, including biosynthesis of organic cyclic compounds, formation of membrane-enclosed and organelle lumens, and Wnt-protein binding. The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with those of IHC staining with regard to expression of related mRNAs. MALAT1 and NEAT1, which are upregulated in NSCL/P, are associated with the severity of NSCL/P. This study provides a new insight into NSCL/P pathogenesis and suggests that MALAT1 and NEAT1 act as potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for NSCL/P.
Project description:Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is a common birth defect with a complex, heterogeneous etiology. It is well-established that both common and rare sequence variants contribute to the formation of CL/P, however, the contribution of copy number variants (CNVs) to cleft formation remains relatively understudied. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a large-scale comparative analysis of genome-wide CNV profiles of 869 individuals from the Philippines and 233 individuals of European ancestry with CL/P with three primary goals: first, to evaluate whether differences in CNV number, amount of genomic content, or amount of coding genomic content existed within clefting subtypes; second, to assess whether CNVs in our cohort overlapped with known Mendelian clefting loci; and third, to identify unestablished Mendelian clefting genes. Significant differences in CNVs across cleft types or in individuals with non-syndromic versus syndromic clefts were not observed, however, several CNVs in our cohort overlapped with known syndromic and non-syndromic Mendelian clefting loci. Moreover, employing a filtering strategy relying on population genetics data that rare variants are on the whole more deleterious than common variants, we identify several CNV-associated gene losses likely driving non-syndromic clefting phenotypes. By prioritizing genes deleted at a rare frequency across multiple individuals with clefts yet enriched in our case cohort compared to controls, we identify COBLL1, RIC1, and ARHGEF38 as clefting genes. CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis of these genes in Xenopus laevis and Danio rerio yielded craniofacial dysmorphologies, including clefts analogous to those seen in human clefting disorders.
Project description:Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is a common birth defect with a complex, heterogeneous etiology. It is well-established that both common and rare sequence variants contribute to the formation of CL/P, however, the contribution of copy number variants (CNVs) to cleft formation remains relatively understudied. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a large-scale comparative analysis of genome-wide CNV profiles of 869 individuals from the Philippines and 233 individuals of European ancestry with CL/P with three primary goals: first, to evaluate whether differences in CNV number, amount of genomic content, or amount of coding genomic content existed within clefting subtypes; second, to assess whether CNVs in our cohort overlapped with known Mendelian clefting loci; and third, to identify unestablished Mendelian clefting genes. Significant differences in CNVs across cleft types or in individuals with non-syndromic versus syndromic clefts were not observed, however, several CNVs in our cohort overlapped with known syndromic and non-syndromic Mendelian clefting loci. Moreover, employing a filtering strategy relying on population genetics data that rare variants are on the whole more deleterious than common variants, we identify several CNV-associated gene losses likely driving non-syndromic clefting phenotypes. By prioritizing genes deleted at a rare frequency across multiple individuals with clefts yet enriched in our case cohort compared to controls, we identify COBLL1, RIC1, and ARHGEF38 as clefting genes. CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis of these genes in Xenopus laevis and Danio rerio yielded craniofacial dysmorphologies, including clefts analogous to those seen in human clefting disorders.
Project description:The identification of the genetic risk factors in patients with isolated cleft palate by whole genome sequencing analysis. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were discovered in genes associated with CP (TBX22, COL2A1, FBN1, PCGF2, and KMT2D) in five patients; hence, rare disease variants were identified in 17% of patients with non-syndromic isolated CP. Our results are relevant to routine genetic counselling practice and genetic testing recommendations.
Project description:We sought to identify Hedgehog-regulated genes in the frontonasal process (FNP) and ventral prosencephalon at GD9.25 in mice, during the initial pathogenesis of cleft lip with or without cleft palate.