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The Etiology of Cleft Palate: a 50 year search for mechanistic and molecular understanding
Citation:
ABBOTT, B. D. The Etiology of Cleft Palate: a 50 year search for mechanistic and molecular understanding. BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH PART B: DEVELOPMENTAL AND REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Indianapolis, IN, 89(4):266-274, (2010).
Impact/Purpose:
This review is a contribution to the 50th anniversary issue of the Teratology Society journal. This overview discusses a research area that was intensively pursued and spawned a vast portfolio of published research. This article summarizes the state of the science in the 1950's and 1960's and tracks the emergence and pursuit of an interest in the etiology for cleft. Studies in NHEERL from the 1980s to around 2005 were conducted to evaluate the mechanism through which dioxin prevented palatal fusion and this work contributed to the dioxin reassessment draft document released for review in the 1990s. This paper provides a perspective on the important achievements in studies of the secondary palate and in particular focuses on progress toward understanding the mechanism of cleft palate that involves failure of palatal fusion. A review of this area is timely and can provide a useful perspective regarding mechanisms in palatogenesis that can be targeted by developmental toxicants
Description:
Dates of special, historical significance, such as the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Teratology Society, prompt a desire to pause and look back and contemplate where we began, how far we have come, and consider the future for our scientific endeavors. The study of the etiology of cleft palate extends many years into the past and was a subject of interest to many of the founding members of the Teratology Society. This scientific topic was intensively pursued and spawned a vast portfolio of published research. In this article, I will look back at the state of the science around the time of the founding of the Teratology Society, in the 1950's and 1960's, and track the emergence and pursuit of an interest in an etiology for cleft palate involving failure of palatal fusion. Studies of medial epithelial cell fate and induction of cleft palate by interference with adhesion or fusion, span the period from the 1960's to the present time. Teratology Society members have been and continue to be key players in cleft palate research. In this retrospective article, seminal research published by Teratology Society members will serve as a platform to launch the discussion of the emergence of our current understanding of medial epithelial cell differentiation and fate, and the potential for these processes to be targets of teratogenic action.
