UTSD researchers’ work featured in Journal of Dental Research

Associate Professors Ariadne Letra, DDS, MS, PhD, and Renato Silva, DDS, MS, PhD were among authors of a study featured on the cover of May 2012 edition of the Journal of Dental Research. The study investigated a specific gene’s association with cleft lip and palate – a common type of oral birth defect. 

Looking at more than 3,000 individuals from multiple populations throughout the world, the researchers found that certain variants of the AXIN2 gene were associated with oral clefts in all populations. AXIN2 also appeared to interact with a known cleft susceptibility gene, IRF6. 

The results suggest a role for gene AXIN2 in causing cleft lip and palate in humans and provided additional insight into the biological mechanisms that contribute to oral clefts.